From Holloway to today: Birth Companions’ journey from grassroots to national leader

Birth Companions began because of one woman’s experience in Holloway Prison and the outcry that followed. 

At the end of 1995, Anette, a pregnant woman in HMP Holloway, North London, wrote to AIMS, the Association for Improvement in Maternity Services, about what was happening to her in prison and her fears for her birth. Beverley Lawrence Beech, a campaigner and Chair of AIMS, which she ran from home in Surbiton, agreed to be her birth partner. Beverley secretly filmed Anette shackled during labour. When that footage was shown on Channel 4, it shone a light on the treatment of pregnant women in prison. It exposed a hidden reality that many people had never thought about before.

The incredible birth specialist, writer and campaigner Sheila Kitzinger brought people together to ask what could be done. Out of that meeting, Birth Companions was formed, originally as the Holloway Doula Group. The first volunteers were antenatal teachers, midwives and doulas. They understood that pregnancy, birth and early motherhood are such important times in the lives of women and babies. They also understood something very simple but very important: no woman should have to go through birth feeling alone and unsupported.

I was working as the antenatal teacher in the prison and worked closely with the group from the beginning. The prison, reeling from the publicity around the Channel 4 footage, agreed that volunteers could support women when they went out to give birth at the local Whittington Hospital. They also allowed them into the prison to meet pregnant women through my antenatal classes in the Education Department.

Those early classes mattered so much. They gave women the chance to talk, ask questions, make a birth plan and spend one-to-one time with a ‘birth companion’. Many women told us it helped them feel less afraid. One said, “I felt safer knowing that I would not be alone for the birth.”

That feeling of safety became central to everything we did.

Holloway prison could be a harsh place. Many women were worried about their safety as a pregnant person in prison. Some feared they wouldn’t be unlocked in time if they went into labour or had a medical emergency. In that environment, our role was not only practical, it was about building trust, offering reassurance and creating as much calm and safety as was possible in that space.

The doula approach was a natural fit. It is about being with a woman, listening to her, respecting her wishes and helping her feel supported and less alone. In prison, where women are so disempowered, that mattered deeply. We never asked women about why they were in prison. We wanted it to be clear that we were there to support them as pregnant women and new mothers, without judgement.

Women told us again and again how much that meant. They said that with Birth Companions by their side they could feel like any other pregnant woman or mum, not defined by prison or by anything else that had happened in their lives. I vividly remember one woman who said:

“When I arrived at the group, I felt so welcome, reassured and, even more importantly, accepted. I was encouraged to speak, never asked about why I was in prison and felt comfortable enough to open up about my hopes, fears and expectations as a mother to be. For two hours it felt like we were a normal group of mums and I can honestly say you forget where you are.”

Many women also spoke about the trauma they had experienced. We didn’t have the language of ‘trauma-informed care’ in those early days, but looking back, that is very much what was shaping our approach. We learned that women needed safety, trust, choice, collaboration and empowerment. We learned the importance of being reliable. Many women had been let down by family, partners and services. We tried to be very clear about what we could and could not do. And we learned that by listening, even when we could not change everything, we could still make a real difference.

Over time, Birth Companions grew. What began in Holloway developed into wider support for women in prison and in the community. We developed breastfeeding and early parenting support, created our own information and resources, and went on to start our Community Link service so support could continue after women were released. We began supporting women facing other forms of disadvantage too, including women who had been trafficked or who had insecure immigration status, women at risk of having their baby removed from their care, and those living in temporary accommodation, for example. 

As the charity has developed, the heart of our work has stayed the same. Women told us what they needed, and we listened. They wanted support that was kind, non-judgemental, reliable and safe. They wanted to be listened to instead of told what to do. They wanted options, not assumptions. They wanted to feel like themselves - a woman and a mother - not like a case or a problem to be managed.

That is still what Birth Companions is about today.

As we celebrate 30 years, we are still standing alongside women through pregnancy, birth and early motherhood when life is especially difficult. We’re still focused on warmth, compassion and practical support. We’re still recognising women’s strengths and treating them with dignity and raising voices and expectations through our Lived Experience Programme.

When I look back to those early days in Holloway, I think about how much has grown from that beginning. What started as a small group of committed volunteers has become a national charity with deep expertise and a clear sense of purpose. We have learned a great deal over the years, and we continue to learn from the women we support.

From Holloway to today, Birth Companions has always been shaped by women’s experiences and by the belief that mothers and babies deserve the best start possible, whatever their circumstances. I feel incredibly proud of that journey, and of everyone who has been part of it.

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