Exposing the Silence Project
American Childbirth: Exposing the Silence
An ongoing photography project started in 2015 by
Lindsay Askins of SPOT OF SERENDIPITY
and Cristen Pascucci of BIRTH MONOPOLY
As many as 1/3 of American women say the birth of their child was traumatic.
Many of these women are later diagnosed with post-traumatic stress syndrome (PTSD).
The majority of birth trauma is completely preventable.
In 2015, women's childbirth advocate Cristen Pascucci along with professional photographer and doula Lindsay Askins drove from California to New York, along with their combined three children aged 3 and under, to launch The Exposing the Silence Project. They stopped along the way in cities all across America to meet and photograph families and professionals who have experienced and witnessed traumatic births related to obstetric violence.
The Exposing the Silence Project is an ongoing project continuing to build a community and gallery of traumatized mothers, fathers, nurses, and doulas who are speaking out against obstetric violence in an effort to improve American maternal health.
{ two women + three kids + one car }
...documenting birth trauma and the strength of women across the United States...
The women photographed in our gallery are asked...
What was traumatic about your baby's birth?
What happened if you tried to tell people about it?
How are you taking your power back?
Lindsay Askins is a professional {birth} photographer and doula at Spot of Serendipity. After repeatedly hearing from women as well as witnessing clients who were victims of obstetric violence during their labor and birthing, she felt strongly to bring light and awareness to the complete disregard of women's basic human rights during pregnancy and childbirth. Using her photography, she is setting out to meet and speak to women all across the United States to not only document their stories but to expose their silence.
After the birth of her son in 2011, Cristen Pascucci left a career in public affairs to study American maternity care and women’s rights within it. She is an advocate for mothers, former vice-president of Improving Birth, and founder of Birth Monopoly. Cristen works closely with leading national advocates, organizations, and birth lawyers to advance the recognition of women's rights in childbirth.