Delivering Better

What happens when birth trauma is minimised - or never properly heard at all? Perinatal trauma specialist Illiyin Morrison joins us to talk about debriefing birth, agency, racism in maternity care and what real support looks like.TW* THIS PODCAST DOES CONTAIN STORIES OF BIRTH TRAUMA. Join the campaign and sign our open letter here: https://deliveringbetter.org/ Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/deliveringbetter/ Follow us on TIktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@deliveringbetter?_r=1&_t=ZN-95igNrJuYvm00:00 Welcome and introducing Illiyin Morrison00:02 Why Illiyin stepped away from midwifery00:03 Pregnancy, home birth plans and consultant dismissal00:05 From planned home birth to emergency caesarean00:06 The moment Illiyin knew she had to leave midwifery00:10 How birth debriefing became her work00:11 What a trauma-informed birth debrief actually looks like00:13 Why clinical notes don’t tell the whole story00:15 Why women need their own words for birth00:17 Hospital reflections, trust and being retraumatised00:20 Why many debriefs stop too early00:21 Are birth reflections protecting women — or the system?00:24 Why positive births can feel hard to talk about too00:26 Home birth after caesarean and making informed choices00:32 “You birth well when you have agency”00:35 Home birth stereotypes and misunderstanding women’s choices00:37 Black women’s experiences in maternity care00:39 Why better care for Black women improves care for everyone00:40 The systemic roots of racial inequality in maternity care00:44 Why maternity care can’t be fixed in isolation00:47 Maternity, matriarchy and building a better future00:49 The Beauty Spot: legacy, motherhood and impact

Welcome to Delivering Better - a podcast hosted by Sarah, Jo and Sophie, campaigning for safer, evidence-based and compassionate maternity care in the UK.In this first episode, they share their own birth stories and the experiences that led them to start the Delivering Better campaign. From birth trauma and postnatal mental health to the silence surrounding maternity care, they explore WHY so many women feel unheard - and what needs to change.*TW* This episode contains stories of Birth Trauma. Join the campaign and sign our open letter here: https://deliveringbetter.org/ Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/deliveringbetter/ Follow us on TIktok: 00:00 - Welcome To Delivering Better00:01 - Meet the founders: Sarah, Sophie and Jo00:03 - Jo’s story and the start of Delivering Better00:08 - Sophie on birth, postnatal isolation and mental health00:13 - Why mums are overlooked in society and politics00:16 - The long-term impact of poor maternity care00:18 - How birth experiences shape motherhood00:24 - Why honest antenatal education matters00:27- What women should be told before birth00:29 - PTSD, flashbacks and trauma after birth00:32 - Why maternity care is still treated as “niche”00:34 - The Beauty Spot00:41 - Sophie’s home birth and what good care looks like

Delivering Better dives into the real stories of birth, motherhood, and maternity care in the UK. Co-founders Sarah, Sophie, and Jo share their own experiences, tackle systemic challenges, and bring in experts and birthing people to explore what works, what doesn’t, and how care can truly improve. From frontline voices to women challenging a broken system, we cover it all - how we got here, what’s broken, and where we need to go. Join the campaign and sign our open letter here: https://deliveringbetter.org/ Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/deliveringbetter/ Follow us on TIktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@deliveringbetter?_r=1&_t=ZN-95igNrJuYvm