Author: Theo Clarke
Author title: Author, Podcaster, former Chair of the UK’s Birth Trauma Inquiry
Description: Having a child is one of the most momentous occasions in any parent’s life. When something unexpected happens during pregnancy or birth, the consequences can be devastating, leading to lifelong physical and psychological consequences that often remain unknown and unspoken about. Birth trauma has historically been understood as a maternal experience, but the Birth Trauma Inquiry, the first parliamentary inquiry of its kind in the United Kingdom, also revealed the profound and lasting effects on fathers and partners. Drawing on oral testimony and written submissions from fathers, this article explores their experiences of traumatic births, the impact on family life in the first 1000 days, and the lessons for practice and policy. For international readers, the UK Inquiry provides a case study of how parliamentary processes can expose systemic failures in maternity care while also amplifying the often-silenced voices of fathers.

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