Biteback Publishing has acquired world rights for Theo Clarke’s Breaking the Taboo, which it will publish in May 2025.
In an emotional debate in the House of Commons in October last year, Theo Clarke broke down in tears as she described being rushed into emergency surgery after the birth of her daughter, terrified she was going to die.
She received a standing ovation and was amazed at the public response. Having shared her own story, she was inundated with accounts from other mothers of their own traumatic childbirth experiences. Quickly she realised that, although birth trauma is a huge issue, there is still a real taboo around speaking about it.
In the UK alone, it’s estimated that up to 30,000 women a year suffer bad experiences during the delivery of their babies, with one in twenty developing post-traumatic stress disorder as a result. Despite this, poor and substandard maternity and postnatal care is too often tolerated as normal.
As an MP, Clarke chaired the first UK inquiry into birth trauma, hearing harrowing evidence from more than 1,300 women, some of whose lives were ruined by their experiences. In Breaking the Taboo, she presents the stories and experiences of mothers and fathers from all different backgrounds that show the undiscussed realities of childbirth trauma and poor maternity care. This urgent book will start a conversation that is as essential as it is overdue.
Theo Clarke said:
“Birth trauma is one of the world’s biggest challenges in women’s health and I am delighted Biteback is publishing my book, as the important debate must continue about how to improve maternity care here in the UK and in other countries too.
The book will bring forward new testimony and expert opinion to look closely at what needs to be done to end the postcode lottery of care in childbirth and the horrifying experiences women can suffer in maternity units that leave them physically and mentally scarred, unable to work and feeling alone.
There is much to do and I hope my book will build on my campaign in Parliament, in the NHS and in government on this taboo subject. We are finally talking about it, but we still need radical policy change to improve how new mums are treated.
In the twenty-first century, women should not suffer a lack of compassion, substandard care, life-threatening and life-changing injuries simply to become mothers.”
James Stephens, publisher at Biteback, said:
“This remarkable book will be an essential addition to the discussion around how we regard and treat women and childbirth – a discussion Theo has already campaigned so hard to make happen.”
Breaking the Taboo will be published in May 2025, accompanied by a major publicity campaign.
Theo Clarke was the Member of Parliament for Stafford. She chaired the first parliamentary inquiry into birth trauma in British history and previously set up the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Birth Trauma in the House of Commons. Theo has served as parliamentary private secretary at the Departments for Education, Business and Trade and HM Treasury, in addition to being trade envoy for the Prime Minister. She won “Speech of the Year” at the Parliamentarian of the Year Awards in 2024.Theo has written for a number of publications including The Times, the Daily Telegraph and Country Life. This is her first book.
For more information, please contact Suzanne Sangster on suzanne.sangster@bitebackpublishing.com