‘A lone voice in the wind’: the importance of listening to the testimonies of women during pregnancy, birth, and beyond

The significance of healthcare professionals listening to women during pregnancy and birth has been consistently touted as necessary. However, recent practice reviews have demonstrated that this continues to be a problematic issue in the medical care of birth, with potentially devastating consequences. In this article, I argue that successful, effective communication between women and healthcare practitioners requires professionals to consider to what extent they believe the reports of women and to explore what may prevent this. Practice recommendations are made with reflexive CPD activities.