More must be done to protect women from birth trauma, a Tory MP has said after a new poll revealed that traumatic births have prevented a significant proportion of women from having more children. Theo Clarke said that it was “vitally important” that women receive the care and support they need after a traumatic birth. It comes after a poll of members of the Mumsnet community found that more than half (53%) who had suffered birth trauma said their experience put them off having more babies. The MP for Stafford has previously spoken out about her own birth story, where she described how she thought she was “going to die” after suffering a third degree tear and needing emergency surgery. She has since set up an All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Birth Trauma to try to highlight the plight of thousands of women who suffer similar situations each year. A poll of 1,000 members of the Mumsnet website, shared with the PA news agency, found that 79% of those surveyed had experienced birth trauma. While the poll does not represent all mothers across the UK, it provides a snapshot of the experiences of those who use the popular parenting site. The survey also found that 72% of those who had experienced birth trauma said their issue had not been resolved a year after giving birth. Among those who had experienced physical, emotional or psychological birth trauma, 44% said healthcare professionals used language which implied they were “a failure or to blame” for the experience. Three quarters (76%) of all of those polled said they felt that health professionals had become “desensitised” to birth trauma. Almost two thirds (63%) said they did not believe healthcare workers did everything they could to prevent birth trauma. And 64% said they felt a “lack of compassion” from healthcare professionals during labour. Commenting on the poll, Ms Clarke said: “These survey results are deeply upsetting. They speak to my own experience of birth trauma and quite clearly to many, many other women’s horrendous experiences too. “That more than half of women across the UK who responded say they are less likely to want another child because of their birth experiences and they were made to feel they were to blame is simply terrible. “The survey is clear that more compassion, education and better after-care for mothers who suffer birth trauma are desperately needed if we are to see an improvement in mums’ physical wellbeing and mental health. “The APPG is now up and running in Parliament and will continue to listen to mothers and experts to drive fundamental change in how we treat mums. Our ambition is for birth trauma to be included in the Government’s women’s health strategy. “It is vitally important women receive the help and support they deserve.” Mumsnet chief executive Justine Roberts said: “We hear daily on Mumsnet from women who have had deeply upsetting experiences of maternity care, and this latest research underlines that the majority of mothers experience birth trauma – whether physical or psychological. “This trauma has long-lasting effects and it’s clear that women are being failed at every stage of the maternity care process – with too little information provided beforehand, a lack of compassion from staff during birth, and substandard postnatal care for mothers’ physical and mental health.” Kim Thomas, chief executive of the Birth Trauma Association, added: “It is time for a complete overhaul in the way women experience maternity. “This should include: honest, evidence-based antenatal education; compassionate and professional care during labour; and postnatal care that is designed to identify and treat every birth injury or mental health problem. “A maternity system that puts women at the heart of care is not some kind of unfeasibly high goal – it is the bare minimum that women have the right to expect.” A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “We are committed to making the NHS the safest place in the world to give birth, and improving support for women before, during and after pregnancy is a priority in the Women’s Health Strategy. “We are investing an additional £165 million per year to grow and support the maternity workforce and improve neonatal care. NHS England recently published a three-year plan to make maternity and neonatal care safer, more personalised, and more equitable for women, babies, and families. “To support women following trauma related to their maternity experience, we are rolling out 33 new maternal mental health services, which will be available across England by March 2024.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Imagination and hard work in children trumps obedience – research finds 7 ways you could be damaging your eye health without even realising Celebrities mingle with royals at glam Vogue World party in London

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A farmer has been ordered to pay up a staggering $92,000 (£71,600) after sending a thumbs-up emoji in a text. Chris Achter was speaking with Kent Mickleborough, a grain buyer who worked for South West Terminal Ltd (SWT). A contract for 86 tonnes of flax for $25 a bushel was drafted between the pair, and the order was expected to arrive in November. Mickleborough signed the document and sent Achter a photo, writing: "Please confirm flax contract". Achter responded with a thumbs-up emoji – but the order did not arrive by the intended date. The Court of King’s Bench in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan has said the Canadian farmer must pay a fee of $92,000. They believe the emoji confirmed the contract, which was later breached. In the legal documents, Achter claimed his use of the emoji was to confirm he had received the document and "understood the complete contract would follow by fax or email." He went on to deny that he accepted the emoji as a digital signature of the "incomplete contract," adding: "I did not have time to review the Flax Contract and merely wanted to indicate that I did receive his text message." Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter His legal team argued that "allowing a simple [thumbs up] emoji to signify identity and acceptance would open up the flood gates to allow all sorts of cases coming forward asking for interpretations as to what various different emojis mean … Counsel argues the courts will be inundated with all kinds of cases if this court finds that the [thumbs up] emoji can take the place of a signature." Meanwhile, the buyers adamantly believed the emoji signified Achter accepted the contract. According to AU News, Justice Timothy Keene summarised the case by saying the case "led parties to a far-flung search for the equivalent of the Rosetta stone in cases from Israel, New York State and some tribunals in Canada, etc. to unearth what a [thumbs-up] emoji means." "This court readily acknowledges that a [thumbs-up] emoji is a non-traditional means to ‘sign’ a document, but nevertheless, under these circumstances, this was a valid way to convey the two purposes of a 'signature.'" He continued: "This Court cannot (nor should it) attempt to stem the tide of technology and common usage – this appears to be the new reality in Canadian society, and courts will have to be ready to meet the new challenges that may arise from the use of emojis and the like." Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

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