Introduction

This chapter, drawing on the authors’ respective qualitative research, will discuss mothers’ experiences of pregnancy and new motherhood in prison. In this chapter we specifically explore issues around access to basic needs, explicitly antenatal support, appropriate nutrition, experiences of external appointments in local hospitals, and birth as an imprisoned mother. It will detail in the mothers’ voices what it feels like to be a pregnant or new mother in prison. It also explores the significance of the reactions of prison staff and the mothers’ relationships with one another. The chapter will centre the women’s voices and experiences as described to us. Mothers in our respective research focused their responses on several key areas – stress and safety; shame; antenatal care and experiences of external appointments; food; miscarriage and cell births; and living on an MBU – and these inform the structure of this chapter.

Early days in prison

Several mothers in our research described the shock and horror they felt at being sentenced to prison, and for some the prison sentence was unexpected. As Baldwin (2021a) highlights, these early days are a risky time for mothers and mothers-to-be. The risk of suicide and self-harm in those first few hours and days is heightened. Sometimes the prison is aware of this and will account for this in their care and observations, as described by Jane:

The care put in place for pregnant women and new mothers was generally in the form of security protocols or procedures, such as opening ACCT documents to keep women from self-harm.