Stranger in the Birth Room

"Fills a critical gap in the literature on maternity care... a comprehensive and thoughtful exploration of how we can better understand, support, and care for survivors of sexual abuse" Sheena Byrom in her forewordTrauma-informed maternity care is essential for women who are survivors of childhood abuse. Pregnancy and birth can bring up long-suppressed memories and feelings that have implications for women’s health and wellbeing as they become mothers. Welcoming a new baby into the family can challenge relationships and distort emotions following birth, affecting partners and bonding with their baby.Kathryn Gutteridge has spent her career as a midwife advocating for the needs of survivor women in maternity care, and this book is the result of that work. She explains how and why the needs of survivors must be taken into account, and shows that trauma-informed care can transform the experiences of women who might otherwise be further traumatised by the maternity care system.Drawing on the evidence base, personal experience, and the words of survivors themselves, this carefully conceived and written book will help all those who work in maternity to better understand the needs of survivors of childhood abuse in their care. For those clinicians who are themselves survivors, this book acknowledges the challenges they face and makes suggestions about how they might find solace in supporting women and their babies.

Kathryn has had a long career in the NHS starting in 1974, she worked in all areas of nursing care including neonatal care for 7 years. She trained as a nurse initially to enable her to become a midwife which she realised in 1990. Very soon she began her career as a community midwife which she loved, working with women in their own surroundings and birthing out of hospital. At that time Domino births were very popular and Kathryn was able to see women and their families throughout their childbearing journey. She was autonomous and with women just the way she knew that was right for women's wellbeing. During this time Kathryn began her Masters degree and started to explore women's psychological health, she founded a postnatal depression support group that is still in action today. In 2001-2002 the government proposed new roles to support health professional development and leadership. The role of Consultant Midwife was born and Kathryn joined a small number of national leaders to develop this role. She was appointed to University Hospitals of Leicester as one of the first consultant midwife. She supported and developed midwife led services in an alongside birth unit. After 5 years she left there to take up a different challenge of Consultant Midwife Clinical Lead in Low Risk Care at Sandwell & West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust. This was a failing service set on 2 sites that required a great deal of vision and leadership. During her time serving women of a diverse multi ethnic population Kathryn developed the award winning world class service of Serenity and Halcyon Birth Centres. These transformed services for women and their babies, clinical outcomes were some of the best both nationally but internationally.Kathryn is a seasoned presenter of her work both in the UK and Internationally. She is also well authored and published in peer reviewed journals and other professional texts. For many years Kathryn has pioneered work and improvements in care for women who have experienced sexual abuse during their lifetime, she founded the group Sanctum Midwives who publish, speak and advise about maternity care for these women.In 2017 Kathryn was elected by her midwifery colleagues throughout the United Kingdom to the prestigious role of President Royal College of Midwives.