Florence Rodgers discusses her work leading the ‘Team Green Birth’ project, bringing in perspectives from those with lived experience of childbirth to inform the next phrase of the project. With support from our Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement (PPIE) Fund, the project recruited for online focus groups to ensure their research was grounded in community interests and needs.
Amount of award: £457.50
As part of my Academic Clinical Fellowship programme in Obstetrics and Gynecology (O&G), I am leading Team Green Birth. This is a collaborative research group exploring how labour pain relief, or analgesia, can become more environmentally sustainable – without compromising women’s safety, choice or experience. Thanks to funding from the University of Exeter’s Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement (PPIE) Fund, we were able to involve women with recent lived experience of maternity care at an early stage of the project, which has started with a systematic review.
The funding supported two online focus groups involving six women with experience of childbirth, alongside two experienced PPI contributors who co-facilitated the discussions. We initially explored recruitment through local baby groups, Make Every Adult Matter, and Birth Companions before successfully recruiting participants through the People in Research website. The discussions explored women’s experiences of labour pain relief, their views on sustainability in maternity care, and how environmental considerations should be balanced alongside safe, high-quality care.
One of the biggest challenges was recruitment. While there was interest in taking part, we were keen to ensure discussions were informed by appropriate childcare or maternity experience. Running the sessions online also brought some challenges, with varying levels of engagement and some participants choosing not to use their cameras. Despite this, the groups entered thoughtful and honest conversations in a supportive environment. Participants encouraged us to think more broadly about sustainability in maternity care, highlighting issues that extended beyond labour analgesia. These discussions reinforced the importance of presenting sustainable options in a way that empowers, rather than places responsibility on women during an already vulnerable time.
The greatest benefit of the PPIE process was gaining confidence that our research is focused on issues that matter to the people it is intended to benefit. Their insights will help ensure that future research into sustainable maternity care remains grounded in lived experiences and priorities. We also hope participants valued the opportunity to contribute their experiences and influence research that has the potential to improve the future of maternity care – something that .feels especially important at a time where maternity care is under huge public scrutiny.
Overall, these focus groups have provided a strong foundation for the next phase of Team Green Birth. The feedback we have received will help us refine our research questions, guide searches and reinforce our commitment to embed patient and public involvement throughout the programme.