Brighton: Artist creates exhibition depicting traumatic birth

An artist has created an exhibition to depict the experience of a traumatic birth.

Phoebe Wingrove, from Brighton, East Sussex, said she hoped her photography would help raise awareness and “create safe spaces for art to aid important conversations”.

The display features abstract photographs representing a woman’s “scary” experience of a vaginal sweep to induce her labour and the uterine atony which followed.

The exhibition – In the Dark: Birth – is on show at Jules Emporium, in Brighton, until 21 October.

During a vaginal sweep, a midwife sweeps their fingers across the cervix during an internal examination to separate the membranes of the amniotic sac from the cervix, according to the NHS.

Uterine atony is a condition that occurs when the uterus doesn’t contract enough after childbirth, which can cause life-threatening blood loss and is considered an obstetric emergency.

Ms Wingrove began a series of exhibitions into women’s health conditions after she was diagnosed with HPV in 2021.

“I found there was a universal and overwhelming lack of knowledge and awareness of our bodies and certain health conditions, and from this In the Dark was created,” she said.

“I want viewers to see and feel the fear that my friend and many others have felt.”

The exhibition showcases 15 abstract green and black images.

“The colour green was chosen to represent the green gush that my friend described when her waters broke after being induced,” Ms Wingrove added.

The subject of the artwork, who wished to remain anonymous, said she was left feeling “helpless” while giving birth to her daughter in 2019.

“Working with Phoebe during this experience has been really cathartic. Sharing my story again has brought up some new emotions,” she said.

Birth Trauma Association chief executive, Kim Thomas, said about 30,000 women a year in the UK develop postnatal post-traumatic stress disorder after giving birth.

“Flashbacks and intense anxiety can make the early days of motherhood very difficult,” she said.

“We are really pleased to see Phoebe Wingrove’s exhibition, which draws the viewer’s attention to the emotional and physical toll that giving birth can take.”

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