Childbirth is a major experience, the course and quality of which are crucial for the mother’s development, her assumption of the maternal role, and for the child(ren). Every year, tens of thousands of women share their childbirth experiences in the “Mothers’ Voice” [“Głos Matek”] study conducted by the Foundation for Childbirth with Dignity [Fundacja Rodzić po Ludzku]. The article presents the results of an analyses of these accounts, focusing on verbal violence directed at women during childbirth by midwives and doctors in Poland in 2021–2022. An examination of the collected material (stories of violence) made it possible to determine who shouted at the women during labour, the language used in these violent statements, and the behaviour of the women that provoked such reactions from midwives and doctors. The findings are interpreted through, among other things, the lens of Michel Foucault’s theory, compared with medical guidelines on the appropriate treatment of women during childbirth, and examined in relation to Polish legislation and WHO guidelines on a positive childbirth experience.
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