Induction and Birth Trauma: What a New Study Found
A French study found about one in ten women had PTSD symptoms two months after an induced vaginal birth. Alexia Leachman on what that does and doesn't mean,…
From the publication
All articles
Fear Free Childbirth Is Growing Up: Why My Voice Isn’t Enough
Ten years on, Fear Free Childbirth is growing up into a publication for reproductive fear, anxiety and trauma, with room for far more voices than mine.
Ten Years On: Why I Nearly Shut It All Down
A few years ago I nearly shut this whole thing down. Ten years on, JJ Stenhouse interviews me about how the podcast started, what it cost, and the…
Challenging the Maternity System: Collective Voices, Activism, and Building a Better Birth Experience, with Mars Lord
Wanting a physiological birth is being painted as an ideology. Birth activist Mars Lord on what has changed in ten years, and our plan to fix maternity care.
The Tokophobia Severity Scale: What It Measures, and What It Misses
A 13-question scale now scores tokophobia, and it was built for women who’ve never been pregnant. Alexia Leachman on what it gets right and what it leaves out.
We’ve Been Measuring Fear of Childbirth Too Simply. Two New Studies Show Why
Two new studies suggest one fear-of-birth score hides more than it shows. Alexia Leachman on what the research found, what it misses, and what needs to change.
Fertility Treatment Trauma and Responding to Loss With Compassion
Guest post by clinical psychologist Dr Tara Seed on why fertility treatment can become traumatic, the losses nobody sees, and how compassion can help you cope.
IVF Anxiety: What It Actually Takes To Get To This Place
A woman going through IVF overhears a midwife call her patient anxious. Alexia Leachman on what it actually takes to get into that clinic, what it costs, and…
Matrescence: The Identity Shift No One Can Prepare You For
Matrescence is the identity shift of becoming a mother – as big as adolescence, and nobody warns you. Alexia Leachman on the becoming no one can prepare you…
Society Has a Plan for You the Moment You Become a Mother. You Didn’t Agree to It.
Your fear about what motherhood will cost you isn't irrational – it's an accurate read of a system that was never built for you. Here's what to do…