Episode 1: Introduction to birth trauma
This week our host Theo is joined by Dr Kim Thomas, CEO of the Birth Trauma Association, and former police officer and mum Gill Castle to talk about birth trauma. They share information about what birth trauma is, covering everything from birth injuries to PTSD, and provide practical advice for affected mums and their families.
Topics that we discuss on the show include: what causes birth trauma, symptoms, treatment, preparing for birth, the long term impacts of birth trauma on family, going back to work and bonding with your baby.
Don't suffer in silence! Listen in and let's break the final taboo in women's health.
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/breaking-the-taboo/id1791997791
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5hbO9pLpPadK01oEO5KMZO
This podcast is sponsored by the law firm Irwin Mitchell.
Website: https://www.theo-clarke.org.uk/podcast
Instagram: @theoclarkemp
Birth Trauma Association: https://www.birthtraumaassociation.org/
Stoma Chameleon: https://www.stomachameleon.com/
Dr Kim Thomas is CEO of the Birth Trauma Association, a charity that supports parents experiencing post-traumatic stress disorder after birth. She was also the secretariat for the all-party parliamentary group (APPG) inquiry into birth trauma, and wrote the inquiry report, published in May 2024. She has published two books about birth trauma: Birth Trauma: A Guide for You, Your Friends and Family to Coping with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Following Birth; and Postnatal PTSD: a Guide for Health Professionals. Her book Broadmoor Women looked at the lives of women committed to Broadmoor in the nineteenth century. She also worked as a freelance journalist for more than 20 years, writing for national newspapers and magazines, with a specialist focus on health and medicine.
Gill Castle is a former police officer who suffered a missed 4th degree tear, recto-vaginal fistula and perineal abcess during the birth of her only child in 2011. This led to a permanent colostomy, and medical retirement from the police force due to extensive mental health problems resulting from the birth, including PTSD and severe anxiety. Gill has campaigned for changes to the maternity system in the UK for many years, and has featured extensively in the national media for her work. In 2022 Gill set up an international charity, Chameleon Buddies, to support women in Kenya and the UK to adjust to life with an ostomy after fistula. In 2023 Gill became the first person to swim the English Channel solo with a stoma.
Breaking The Taboo production team:
Researchers: Max Austin and Elliott Malik
Designer: Emily Ryder
Social Media: Bella Carter
Studio manager: Adam Woodward
Studio: Studio 55 part of Wolfe Power Club
