Evidence-based picture story Having a Baby launches to improve the experience of maternity care for expectant parents with learning disabilities.
We are delighted to have launched a brand-new word-free picture story aimed at improving maternity care for expectant parents with learning disabilities.
Approximately 1.5 million people in the UK have a learning disability, and 7% go on to become parents. It’s well-known that people with learning disabilities face serious health inequalities. Regrettably they are also some of the most likely to report negative experiences of maternity care – feedback directly linked to a lack of clear communication and too much inaccessible information.
To bridge this communication gap between parents and professionals, we have developed a unique, evidence-based picture story. Created with a team of parents and professional experts, Having a Baby is designed to improve communication and build trust and understanding between midwives and expectant parents. The picture book tells the story of two couples who find out they are expecting, and what happens to them from first symptoms all the way to giving birth.
The conversations that develop around the pictures empower parents with knowledge of what to expect, whilst giving midwives the opportunity to answer questions, offer reassurance and provide care that best meets parents’ needs. During development, more than 60 people with learning disabilities and autistic people trialed the story, ensuring the pictures were easy to understand. Feedback was resoundingly positive.
Lead author Dr Kathryn Hollins explained: “It’s a simple concept but immensely powerful. The story prompts people to share their own experiences of pregnancy and parenthood, as they did during the book’s trial period, and helps to reflect on the emotional, relational and practical implications of pregnancy and becoming a parent. Every single group that reviewed the story said it would be useful for supporting expectant parents with learning disabilities.”
Dr Hollins, a Consultant Parent, Child and Family Psychiatrist and Psychotherapist, collaborated with artist Beth Webb and co-authors Dr Anna Cox (Psychologist and Researcher; University of Surrey), Milli Miller (Senior Social Worker; Adult Learning Disabilities Team); Tessa van der Vord (Specialist Mental Health Midwife) and Scott Watkin BEM (father and expert by experience) to devise the picture story over many months. The project was overseen by Professor Sheila the Baroness Hollins, Founder and Chair of Beyond Words.
Mr Watkin said of the story, “We know that so many people with learning disabilities, who do have babies, don’t always get the right support and get their babies taken away from them at birth. This is a great resource and we should be promoting it widely and letting everybody use it. There are still not enough resources out there and to have the book and the pictures to describe with no words, it makes the experience a lot easier.”
Having a Baby is available in paperback and ebook format. Guidance on how to use wordless picture stories is included for anyone unfamiliar with their practical application.