NHS push for natural birth over C-sections

the nhs is paying a controversial author to persuade midwives to promote ‘natural birth’ despite a series of baby deaths associated with it, campaigners have claimed.

at least two trusts have let sheena Byrom give talks to midwives that include pro-natural birth messages, enraging parents who have lost babies after being encouraged towards normal birth – when a birth takes place without a caesarean section, induction, instruments or epidural.

Mrs Byrom, a midwifery consultant, was paid £4,190.20 to lead study days at Walsall healthcare nhs trust, and addressed midwives and students at Derby teaching hospitals trust.

rhiannon Davies, 43, who lost her baby after being encouraged to give birth naturally, said: ‘people like sheena Byrom have got their own agenda and are frankly dangerous.’

It emerged last month that more scots could give birth at home or without a doctor present in a maternity shake-up. health secretary shona robison said the changes would deliver a ‘fundamentally different’ system of care.

the royal College of Midwives dropped its normal Birth Campaign three years ago after conceding it ‘created the wrong idea’.

But in her talk in Derby last month, Mrs Byrom said: ‘Do we really believe that women’s bodies are so faulty that less than 40 per cent will give birth without intervention?’

a Freedom of Information request revealed that at the Walsall trust 129 midwives attended compulsory training, learning that intervention by doctors is a ‘bio-medical ideology’.

Maureen treadwell, of the Birth trauma association, said a ‘powerful lobby want to keep the normal birth agenda going’.

Mrs Byrom said she was ‘not campaigning for anything’, while Walsall nhs trust said: ‘our review of policies, guidelines and training has been based on our aim to increase opportunities for normal birth without compromising safety.’

Derby teaching hospitals trust said it was ‘fully committed to safety’.