This month marks the first anniversary of the launch of Birthrights. It's been quite a year...

We launched aiming to raise awareness of women's rights in childbirth - we believe we achieved that and much more:

• Our information and advice service has proved more popular than we could have imagined. Our factsheets have been downloaded by thousands of people and we have advised over 100 women and health professionals on maternal rights and access to maternity services.
• We have spoken at conferences and study days across the country. In 2014, we will be speaking at the Mama Conference in Glasgow and the International Confederation of Midwives Conference in Prague amongst others.
• We are forging collaborations to advance research into maternal rights with academics in England and Scotland.
• Our media profile is growing as we continue to provide leading commentary on maternity issues. You can read media reports featuring Birthrights here.
• Our Dignity Campaign launched in October with the Birthrights Dignity Forum and the publication of the Birthrights Dignity Survey, revealing that many UK women still do not receive respectful care or choice in childbirth.

We will be continuing our work in 2014, focusing on promoting real change in maternity services through training, research and campaigning on women's dignity. If you would like to show your support for Birthrights, please consider making a donation.

Childbirth and Early Motherhood Seminars

Our Birthrights Dignity Survey revealed the long-term impact that women's experiences of childbirth have on their self-esteem and family relationships. As part of our ongoing focus on dignity in childbirth, Birthrights and the Open University are collaborating on a seminar series to explore the impact of birth on early motherhood.

The seminars bring together researchers, health professionals and all those interested in the subject to generate research agendas on the themes of the birthing experience and early motherhood. Each seminar will present a paper outlining new research and thinking, and participants will have an opportunity to talk through the findings and think about new directions for research. Seminars are free to attend.

Our first seminar on 29th January considered researching respectful care in childbirth. It generated a great discussion that we intend to continue in our second seminar on 26 February 2014. More details are available here and you can register your interest in attending with the Open University.

Fighting the Fear - How to provide good maternity care in a litigation culture

This Autumn Birthrights is planning an event addressing fear amongst health professionals working in maternity services. We know that fear of litigation leads to defensive practice that cripples professionals' ability to provide high-quality, woman-centred care. We want to turn the tide with a positive and collaborative discussion of the causes of fear and practical solutions that will enable health professionals to feel confident in their care. Please get in touch if you would like to contribute to shaping the day.