Start with women’s priorities
Open each interaction by asking what women would like to focus on.
Recommendations and Learning
Findings and Recommendations
Maternity care works best when it is and grounded in and experiences.
What we learned from Born from the Heart, Photos of the Soul, an exhibition of photos and stories created by South London women through Photovoice.
What the project found
Women asked to be listened to, understood, and supported as whole people, not only through clinical interactions.
The MORE Project highlighted the importance of relational, culturally respectful, and holistic maternity care that recognises women as experts in their own lives and experiences.
Across the exhibition themes, participants described the importance of being listened to, understood, and supported as whole people rather than solely through clinical interactions. Experiences of work, migration, family life, mental health, spirituality, identity, and support networks all shaped how women experienced pregnancy and motherhood.
The project generated recommendations focused on continuity of care, trauma-informed and relational practice, peer support, flexible services, and creating opportunities for women’s voices and lived experiences to shape maternity care and service improvement.
The exhibition also demonstrated the value of participatory and peer research approaches in creating spaces for reflection, dialogue, community connection, and meaningful engagement with maternity inequalities.
Recommendations
The recommendations below focus on redistributing power, building trust, and supporting the full context of women’s lives in maternity care.
Build continuity of care
Enable relationships and trust by ensuring women see the same midwife, healthcare providers or small team, including outside of scheduled appointments.
Map and strengthen support networks
Work with women to identify who supports them and connect them to community resources where gaps exist.
Integrate peer support into routine care
Create opportunities, such as groups and drop-ins, for women to connect and support each other.
Provide practical, holistic support
Offer rest spaces, feeding support, and joined up physical and mental health care, recognising the demands of motherhood.
Recognise women as experts in their own bodies
Actively involve women in care planning and respect their knowledge and choices.
Provide culturally respectful care
Make space for cultural, spiritual, and community practices within maternity care.
Train staff in trauma-informed, relational practice
Focus on listening, validation, and recognising less visible distress.
Build flexible services around women’s lives
Adapt appointments, timing, and location to reflect women’s circumstances, including work, migration, and family contexts.
Creating opportunities for to shape maternity care.