"I felt a huge amount of support, I was able to share my experiences with the other girls and the birth companions without fear of judgement."
Pregnancy
In our pregnancy groups in prison we give women evidence-based information to help them prepare for birth and early parenting. We cover topics including pregnancy health and wellbeing, positions for labour and birth, pain relief and what happens after birth. We also encourage women to think about their current and future needs and to write down their birth preferences - what they would like to happen during their labour in hospital. Women tell us that the groups give them a safe space to talk about their concerns and focus on their baby, and that this helps them to feel less anxious.
We run pregnancy groups in HMPs Bronzefield, Peterborough, and Foston Hall.
Mother and baby
We also run groups on prison Mother and Baby Units (MBUs), where mothers are able to keep their babies with them during their sentence up to the age of 18 months (or 24 months with an extension). We run these groups in HMPs Bronzefield and Peterborough.
Mothers and babies in these units benefit from our ongoing support. Our groups focus on baby massage, relaxation and early parenting topics, as well as ongoing advocacy services.