Woman-centred and trauma-informed
"They made me feel comfortable and included and there was no judgement"
Birth Companions is a women’s organisation built on feminist principles, delivering woman-to-woman support. Choice, empowerment and protecting women’s rights are central to the way we work. Women choose whether or not to engage with us and our support is unconditional. We provide women with evidence-based information and support them with their choices.
Birth Companions is a trauma-informed organisation. Experiences of trauma have shaped the lives of most of the women we support, and the way we work responds to the particular impact of trauma during pregnancy, birth and early motherhood. We build trusted relationships; help women to feel safe; and support others involved in their care to understand how experiences of trauma might affect women’s responses and choices.
The women we support are at the heart of everything we do and their voices are key to our work. Prioritising lived experience of multiple disadvantage during pregnancy, birth and early motherhood means we are able to focus our services and policy and campaigns work on what women really need and want; support leadership by women who experience disadvantage, and encourage and support others to do the same.
Learn more about the work of our Lived Experience Team
Birth Companions is an anti-racist organisation. We are committed to being an inclusive, diverse, culturally competent and anti-racist organisation that acknowledges and takes action against structural, institutional and interpersonal racism. We recognise this needs to be rooted in action. More specifically we are committed to addressing racism in the maternity, criminal justice, social services and immigration systems, the Voluntary and Community sector, and in our own organisation. We want Birth Companions to be a safe and supportive organisation for Black and Asian women, and women from all other groups who experience racism to work, volunteer or be supported in.
Birth Companions is a sustainable organisation. We acknowledge the urgent threat the climate and biodiversity emergency presents to human life, and in particular to the generations of babies whose births we have supported, and will continue to support. We recognise we have a collective duty to act now to mitigate the impact of the climate and biodiversity emergency on future generations. Our environmental policy sets out Birth Companions’ practical response to the climate and biodiversity emergency through making choices that mean the charity has less impact on the environment; and by acting as a leader in our field to share information, policy and best practice, and encourage other organisations to act with us.
We are on a journey. We will continue to learn and improve our practice to ensure these values are borne out through Birth Companions’ work.
