GRANTEE
Childbirth is a deeply personal, vulnerable, and female-centered experience that often remains undocumented, particularly from the perspective of the woman giving birth. The language used in the mainstream media often strips women of agency in the process of birth, shifting attention away from their lived experience.
This project seeks to document intimate childbirth experiences that occurred during the first months of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine. At least 20 in-depth interviews will be conducted with women who gave birth in war-affected conditions across Ukraine—in maternity hospitals, bomb shelters, subway stations, under occupation, or while in transit to health facilities. These stories will be gathered through the lens of birthing women and those who supported them, focusing on what—and how¬—was happening before, during, and immediately after birth, and in the following few days or weeks.