Against obstetric violence: humanizing childbirth is not a luxury, it's a right

Thousands of women leave the delivery room every day with invisible wounds that take years to heal. Why does childbirth, which should be a life-changing and transformative experience, sometimes become a painful memory? Obstetric violence exists. It's not always visible, but it is felt. Each of those affected carries it and stores it in the memory of their bodies.

The World Health Organization has been warning for years about the dehumanizing treatment many women receive during childbirth. While clinical figures may be favorable and the birth may occur without physical incident, there are other statistics that are often hidden: those of unvalidated emotions , unexplained decisions, and bodies operated on without consent.

Many women describe births as traumatic. Feelings of fear, loneliness, guilt, or disconnection frequently appear, and in the most severe cases, symptoms of post-traumatic stress are identified. It's not just a matter of medical procedures: it's how, when, and with what care they are performed. Because it's not enough for the baby to be born healthy: how the mother experiences that birth is also important.

The wounds that go unseen are the long-term emotional consequences for women. Beyond the clinical data, many women describe their births as purely traumatic experiences.

The emotional effects don't end with hospital discharge ; they last for weeks, months, or even years. Symptoms such as anxiety, postpartum depression, and bonding disorders with the newborn are common. These invisible wounds are rarely detected in routine care settings, which exacerbates their impact and increases the risk of them becoming chronic.

It's important to understand that obstetric violence isn't limited to the malicious actions of individual professionals. It's often the result of a rigid, overloaded system focused more on logistics than on listening. Rotating shifts, insufficient staffing, and standardized protocols are some of the factors behind this problem. All of this limits personalized care and emotional support. In this context, birth plans are not read, companions are denied access, and cesarean sections are performed without prior explanation.

Furthermore, a gap persists between scientific evidence and clinical practice. Interventions such as routine episiotomy, oxytocin without clear indication, or the Kristeller maneuver are still used in many hospitals , despite being discouraged by international guidelines. The lack of updated protocols, coupled with limited training in communication skills, reinforces asymmetrical power dynamics between professionals and women.

One of the most uncomfortable debates among healthcare professionals revolves around the term itself: is it violence or malpractice? Some healthcare sectors reject the label, believing it criminalizes without considering intent. Moreover, many women experience what they experienced as a form of violence, even if no harm was intended.

The focus shouldn't be on intent, but on impact. What matters is the harm caused, the loss of control, the silence that prevails when there is no explanation, no support, no care. For many women, it's not a legal or semantic issue, but rather how they felt: ignored, infantilized, or abused.

It's not about pitting women and professionals against each other, but about building bridges. Listening to testimonies, reviewing practices, and promoting training in gender perspective and human rights can be more transformative than arguing about labels. Because, beyond words, the urgent need is to ensure that no woman leaves the hospital with more wounds than scars.

Not all are stories of pain. There are also births experienced as healing experiences. What sets them apart is not only the absence of complications, but the presence of care.

In the face of obstetric violence, we have professionals who inform, who validate emotions, who respect time, who accompany without imposing.

Centers that are committed to real humanization, with adequate resources, stable teams, and institutional commitment.

Care based on active listening, empathy, and communication can turn childbirth into a healing memory. Actions such as allowing the presence of a companion, encouraging immediate skin-to-skin contact, and adapting spaces to the woman's needs demonstrate that a different model is not only possible, but urgent.

Empowering women during birth involves providing clear information, preparing them to make decisions, and ensuring those decisions are respected. Including partners, allowing skin-to-skin contact, and adapting spaces are some small steps that lead to big changes.

Humanizing childbirth isn't a luxury; it's a right. It's also a public health measure: it improves postpartum recovery, the bond between mother and baby, mental health, and trust in the healthcare system.

The body doesn't forget what it's experienced, but it also doesn't forget when it was cared for, listened to, and respected. Every birth matters. Every woman deserves to be treated with dignity.

Article published in 'The Conversation'

Julián Rodríguez Almagro, Associate Professor. ICE Group, Faculty of Nursing of Ciudad Real, University of Castilla-La Mancha.

Sandra Martínez Rodríguez, Professor at the Faculty of Nursing, Ciudad Real, University of Castilla-La Mancha