It was founded to promote natural deliveries and has become Britain’s biggest and most influential antenatal charity – but did its policies harm some mothers and babies?
In May, charity representatives, campaigners and MPs gathered in parliament to hear the then Conservative MP Theo Clarke launch the UK’s first national birth trauma inquiry. More than 1,300 people had submitted evidence, including parents who had lost babies and women with lifelong injuries and post-traumatic stress disorder.
Also there that evening was Angela McConville, the chief executive of the National Childbirth Trust (NCT), a parenting charity best known for the antenatal groups it runs for expecting parents. “Genuine sadness and emotion in parliament tonight,” McConville wrote in a post on X.
