What’s in a Name – Gender Inclusion in Maternity and Beyond Laura Godfrey-Isaacs – Midwife, artist and birth activist Recently, I debated the use of gender-based language and self-identity, both in maternity and political contexts, at the Women’s Equality Party Conference, the Association of Radical Midwives Conference and online. Discussions have been triggered by progressive […]
Birth is not Porn Laura Godfrey-Isaacs – Artist, Birth Activist and Midwife at King’s College London Powerful images of childbirth posted by mothers, artists and organisations that advocate for women, are being censored on social media, and labelled as ‘porn’. During World Breastfeeding Week (2018), I posted a number of brelfies (selfies of women breastfeeding), referencing […]
Birth (and midwives) in the Media By Laura Godfrey Issacs – Midwife, Artist and Activist August 2018 In August 2017, myself and many others were caught up in a storm of media ‘stories’ and debates around birth. These were swirling around the misapprehension that the Royal College of Midwives (RCM) had dropped the use of […]
Birth on Film Laura Godfrey Issacs – Artist, Birth Activist and Midwife at King’s College London How birth is depicted on film is an important issue – we live in ‘an electronic age’ where pregnancy and birth is represented in unprecedented ways, and few witness a birth first hand before their own labour, whereas nearly […]
Passage from Birth Trauma by Mila Oshin Two months ago I was diagnosed with PTSD as a result of circumstances surrounding the birth of my first child, eight years ago. Surprisingly, perhaps, the past eight years have been some of my most creative and productive. I wrote and published Passage; a collection of poems about […]
The trouble with milk… Laura Godfrey-Issacs – Midwife Recently, I observed, with horror, a major midwifery conference and awards sponsored by two Breast Milk Substitute companies (BMS), and many midwives I know and respect, seemingly co-opted to promote them as a result – it caused me to reflect, again, on the highly complex issues around […]
Playing Kate: Re-staging maternal transformation A guest blog by Jodie Hawkes Introduction Since 2005 I have been making performances with my partner Pete Phillips as part of a live art duo Search Party. One of our theatre performances, My Son and Heir (2015) was made shortly after the birth of our first son Edward, which […]
Maternal Journal – how creative journaling can support pregnant women and new mothers with a history of mild to moderate mental health problems Journaling: ‘a record of experiences, ideas, or reflections kept regularly for private use’ (Merriam-Webster, 2018) Introduction There is growing recognition of the serious nature of maternal mental health problems during childbirth – […]
by Laura Godfrey-Isaacs and Helen Knowles The Birth Rites Collection of contemporary art about childbirth – opening at King’s College London, Guy’s Campus, 25th January 2018 (open to the public by appointment) In January 2018 The Birth Rites collection, the first and only collection of contemporary artwork dedicated to the subject of childbirth, curated by […]
I am a fine-art and commercial photographer of 11 years. Having long created surreal and elaborate fantasy scenes, always with a singularly conventional femininity, I’ve been increasingly hungry to showcase a more raw, powerful beauty in the most surreal yet commonplace event in a woman’s life: childbirth. Evan Gabriel I have long been fascinated by […]