There is support available if you need it

Don’t suffer in silence and don’t be afraid to ask for help and advice.

Where to seek help?

This section is designed to help you find support after a birth injury.

Here you will find information about NHS services to help you after birth injury, a MASIC map of accredited pelvic floor centres and listings of private practitioners who may be able to offer you more specialist services.

We also include in this section links to our network of legal advisors, should you wish to discuss your circumstances with a law firm with expertise in providing support and advice after birth injury. As an organisation that supports women who have sustained these injuries, it is important that the law firm provide a high-quality professional service and are sympathetic and understanding when listening to accounts that are often distressing.

You will also find in this section employment advice should you find that your birth injury affects your ability to work, or you are worried about returning to work after your maternity leave.

It is important to say that we are aware there are no easy answers when dealing with a birth injury, and unfortunately there isn't a one-stop solution. Injury to the pelvic floor muscles and nerves and acute trauma to the bowel and/or bladder is a deeply distressing situation for a woman to find herself in. As a charity run by women who have experienced this we understand how hard it can be to accept what has happened to you when giving birth.

These pages serve as a guide to recovery. Help is out there and there are plenty of health professionals who care deeply about this issue. Reach out to them, and to the other women who know what you are going through. It is never too late to seek help.

Support from your GP

About 6/100 first-time mothers will have a deep tear involving the anal sphincter muscle, also known as a 3rd or 4th degree tear.

It’s not surprising that women find it difficult to talk about as there is a social stigma attached to these issues. In addition, not all GP’s ask the right questions to prompt women to talk about it and it can be a really difficult subject to bring up with the GP. However, I want to reassure women that GP’s want to know and want to be able to help. There is a lot of help out there, it is just knowing how and where to get it.

NHS here to support

There is support available if you need it, don’t suffer in silence and don’t be afraid to ask for help and advice.

Find the private support you need.

There are a range of private support services out there. Find out who we recommend.

Is your mental health suffering?

There is support available if you need it, don’t suffer in silence and don’t be afraid to ask for help and advice.

Sustaining a birth injury is a traumatic experience. The day your baby is born is often called one of the happiest days of your life. People don’t often speak about the fact that that having a baby can be traumatising and inflict serious physical damage to the woman giving birth.

Legal support

From time to time, most of us in our lifetime need the expertise of a lawyer. Mothers who suffer from bowel incontinence after childbirth may wish to discuss their circumstances with a law firm with expertise in providing support and advice about available facilities for people with this condition.

Your employment after birth

Should I tell my employer?

Click below to go to a question and answer section to help you with any worries you may have about work and your employer.

Partner Charities

We work with a range of committed and professional partner charities.

MASIC MAP

Use this interactive map to find a Pelvic Floor Society Accredited centre near you.

These hospitals offer specialist pelvic floor clinics for treating women who are symptomatic after an OASI injury and may need further investigations and/or surgery. These centres are led by experienced colorectal surgeons and their teams.

We plan to add physiotherapy clinics and other specialisms to the MASIC Map as we develop.

See full addresses

The stats speak for themselves.
More women are affected and need support…

85%

of women with severe birth injury said it impacted on their relationship with their child

78%

were affected by traumatic memories of the birth

52%

stated they were embarrassed by the symptoms of their injury

49%

of women affected said they doubted their ability to mother

45%

suffered postnatal depression as a result of their injury

24%

of women affected regretted having a child because of the injuries sustained