Editorial standards
Our readers often find us on the worst night of their year. That fact sets the standard for everything we publish – here’s what we hold ourselves to.
Who we are
Fear Free Childbirth is an independent publication covering reproductive fear, anxiety and trauma, founded by Alexia Leachman and published by Blossoming Limited. Editorial decisions are made by our editorial team – never by sponsors, advertisers or affiliate partners.
Accuracy and sourcing
- We ground claims in published research wherever it exists, cite our sources, and translate studies honestly – including their limitations.
- We distinguish clearly between established evidence, emerging research, expert opinion and lived experience.
- We don’t inflate statistics to make a point. The numbers on this site are real or they’re not on this site.
Trauma-aware storytelling
We publish hard stories, and we publish them responsibly:
- Consent and control. Story owners approve their story before publication – nothing runs without sign-off, and we’ll unpublish a story if its owner asks us to.
- No shock value. Difficult material is published for understanding, never for traffic. Context comes before impact.
- Trigger-safe imagery. Our ambient imagery avoids pregnancy bumps, babies, labour wards and medical equipment – because our readers told us. Imagery of that kind appears only inside individual stories, where the reader has chosen to be.
These standards sit inside RAD Responsible™, our storytelling standard for anyone sharing stories about pregnancy, birth, fertility and loss. Read about RAD Responsible
No fear-mongering
We acknowledge real fear; we never manufacture it. No scare headlines, no countdowns, no manufactured urgency – in editorial or in any paid placement. This standard is also written into our sponsored content policy.
Commercial separation
- Sponsored content is always labelled and tagged
rel="sponsored"– see the sponsored content policy. - Where a page contains affiliate links, that page carries a disclosure. Affiliate relationships never decide what we recommend.
- Fear Free Childbirth links editorially to its sister site Fearless Birthing, which offers treatment and professional training founded by the same team. Those links are editorial judgements, clearly in context – never disguised advertising.
Corrections
When we get something wrong, we correct it promptly and note the correction on the article. Spotted an error? Email hello@fearfreechildbirth.com – we read everything.
Not medical advice
Our content is editorial and informational. It isn’t a substitute for advice from your midwife, doctor or mental health professional, and nothing we publish should delay you seeking care.