Parenting, Separation and Loss in Prison: A Humanised Model of Prenatal Care centred on Women, Babies, and the Community : Parenting, Separation and Loss in Prison

Pregnant women and new mothers in prison experience significant health and social inequalities. Forsome, imprisonment results in the compulsory separation of mother and baby shortly after birth, withprofound implications for maternal mental health, parenting identity and infant wellbeing. Despite itssignificance, separation in prison remains underexplored within birth and parent education literature.This paper draws on findings from the Lost Mothers project, an Economic and Social ResearchCouncil (ESRC)-funded, co-produced study led by women with lived experience of imprisonment andmaternal separation. Using qualitative methods, including interviews with women and professionalsand observation of Mother and Baby Unit decision-making processes, the study explores how womenexperience parenting, separation and loss following childbirth in prison. Findings show that separation isexperienced as a visceral, embodied trauma characterised by intense grief, disrupted parenting identityand unmet emotional needs. The paper considers implications for birth and parent education, emphasisingtrauma-informed, relational approaches that recognise separation contexts.KEY WORDS: maternal separation, imprisonment, birth education, parenting identity, perinatal trauma