The global pandemic continues to be used as an opportunity in some quarters to remove choice and rights for women.

The fast paced lurch from crisis to crisis in the USA exposed that in some states governors had removed abortion services to women, deeming them 'non essential' during pandemic restrictions.

Today we talk to Rachael Clarke from the British pregnancy advisory service (BPAS) and service user Laura Munday who help us explore the UK approach to lockdown services to women, and the rights of women to privacy versus the right to free speech from prolife groups.

Today's episode looks at trauma and safety. We discuss whats going on for women accessing services and why 40+% of women are experiencing emotional and physical trauma during the pregnancy and birthing process. Dr Rebecca Moore, founder of Make Birth Better and perinatal psychiatrist helps us understand what's going wrong.

We have all had a taste of restrictions on our day to day freedoms and liberties recently. Now imagine that you have informed yourself through researching the latest findings that staying at home and isolating with your family is the best way to wait this pandemic out, but, the government has made a ruling that everyone must spend all their time in a hospital – just in case we get sick! 

This is the situation that pregnant and labouring women found themselves in recently when the homebirth services were/are withdrawn while we live through the Coronavirus pandemic. We know that homebirth is a safe activity – we have the evidence – Lancet April 2020! 

The team discuss the frustrating issue of ritualistic behaviour and the unwillingness of the professions to listen to and support women.

Giving birth in the middle of a pandemic is one thing, but being told at the very last minute that your birth choices are just not going to be honoured and we hope you understand, is quite another!

Women are being told that homebirth services are withdrawn indefinitely. So what do you do when every cell in your body is saying DONT GO TO THE HOSPITAL WHEN A HIGHLY INFECTIOUS AND DEADLY VIRUS IS RUNNING AMOK?

The #metoo movement started to get real traction in the Autumn of 2017 leading up to the arrest of Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein. With high profile actors using the hashtag to get a sense of how big the sexual harassment of women might actually be. The response was overwhelming and the movement has given women a platform to have their voices finally heard. It was this moment in history that birthed The Eve Event too.

Today we discuss where we are at and the verdict of the Weinstein trial.

What do you do when you find yourself pregnant for the first time and bored with your day job? Well you build an empire of course! Cynthia started her yoga journey and business just when you would expect to be winding down and planning a babymoon. A true pioneer!

Valantina set off for her yoga class as usual not realising something extraordinary would happen right in the middle of the session. The following events caught everyone off guard and an unforgettable race across London have kept Valentina and her husband dinner party story royalty...

Laura and her husband Dominic found themselves in a new country and pregnant! As delighted as they were to be starting a family they needed to work out how the maternity services could work for them, and who were these healthcare people called midwives!?

Laura's journey started with plans to epidural up in an obstetric led hospital just like they do back in the USA.... and ended with an UBER journey to remember. The hilarious story of a race to get into a birthpool!

The ugly truth of the universal problem of bullying is clearly defined in the Oxford English Dictionary as to ;

“seek to harm, intimidate, or coerce (someone perceived as vulnerable)”

The culture of bullying is known to be healthy within the NHS and is evidenced in the high levels of stress related illness in the midwifery, nursing and medic professions, with suicide rates 23% higher in these professions than the national average for the general population.

Amanda tells us about her own terrible experiences as a whistle-blower and trailblazer. She clearly has major inner strength and courage but it nearly wasn’t enough. We hugely appreciate her tenacity and will always walk beside her. Let’s show her the love and leave a supportive comment for her on the website.

Jo Marchant is a scientist and a writer. She is, in fact an award-winning science writer who travels a wide terrain of ideas – from hypnosis to meditation, from placebos to positive visualisation – rescuing each from the realm of pseudoscience.! She is also a phenomenal disobedient women who fought her way through a dis-empowering birth experience to triumph as a birth goddess. A true superhero in our books. You will love her too.