Shakira asked if alternative medication to morphine was possible after her C-section.

"The nurse got angry," she says. "She threw the morphine away, and I was then left alone for hours."

And when Kadi was recovering from a fourth-degree vaginal tear, she lay alone in her hospital bed crying her eyes out.

She accuses staff of showing no compassion as she screamed in pain.

"The nurses just walked past me and literally ignored me," she says.

Stories from three separate women who were cared for in three different hospitals, but they all shared a similar experience - their pain was ignored, their concerns were dismissed, and they believe their race played a part in the treatment they received.

The government says tackling disparities in maternity care is a priority, calling the fact that black women are twice as likely to die during childbirth an "absolute outrage".

But behind the statistics are real women, living with the consequences.

So what does it actually feel like to be a black woman navigating maternity care in this country, when race is so intrinsically linked to risk?

"I haven't felt supported, I haven't felt safe, I haven't felt like my pain was taken seriously," says Tenisha Howell, 33, who has five children.

"I have a lot of experiences that I can draw from, and it's sad to say that a lot of them have been quite negative," she says.

Tenisha says her most recent birth was "probably one of the most traumatic experiences" she has ever had.

She was screaming in agonising pain as the gas and air she was given was beginning to wear off. The response from her midwife?

"She told me to shut up multiple times and then she put her hand over my mouth to basically say, 'be quiet'," Tenisha explains.

"That was very disheartening. It was very sad."

When Shakira Akabusi, 38, gave birth to her second son, she was "down on all fours, clinging to the wall, asking for medication".

But she says she was "denied repeatedly, ignored", and "left for hours".

"It was a horrifying experience, to be in so much pain, to be asking for help and nobody listening to you."

Dr Michelle Peter, co-author of the Five X More Black Maternity Experiences Report, says: "This kind of dismissal of black women's pain and refusal to provide adequate pain relief when it's requested is a common experience amongst the black women who have shared their experiences with us."

The Black maternal experiences report gathered responses from 1,164 black and mixed-heritage women across the UK who had been pregnant between July 2021 and March 2025.

Of these women, 54% said they experienced challenges with healthcare professionals, while almost a quarter reported not receiving pain relief when it was requested.

"This is kind of linked to historical, but also ongoing, racialised assumptions about black people's tolerance to pain, their vulnerability or their strengths," says Dr Peter.

None of the women Sky News spoke to mentioned racial slurs, instead they suggested there was something more insidious.

"It's the subtle things that they do, or don't do that makes you think, 'hold on, why are they ignoring me? Why are they being so dismissive? So hostile?'" says Kadi Wilson, 43.

Kadi continues to suffer from the birthing injuries she sustained 15 years ago.

After multiple complications, she suffered a fourth-degree vaginal tear, the most severe kind.

She says after her baby was finally delivered, she felt a sense of relief. But that euphoria wouldn't last long.

Kadi says she began "throwing up in the theatre room because of all the drugs they've pumped into me".

She remembers that she "looked down and I just see all this blood everywhere, and I am like, 'oh my gosh, what has happened?'"

However, she says the medical staff failed to provide her with the answers or care she required.

"I was pressing that call button and no one came.

"I was crying my eyes out in that ward, and the nurses were just going past me... it was very cold, it was a very dismissive environment."

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The government's independent investigation into maternity and neonatal services, which is being led by Baroness Amos, has reported too many women, from all backgrounds, continue to receive "unacceptable care", which leads to "tragic outcomes".

One of its aims is to explore the "impact of discrimination against women of colour".

"This is not about pitting women against one another and diminishing any one woman's singular experience," explains Dr Peter.

She highlights that maternity services are under a lot of pressure, working in challenging circumstances.

But, she says: "If this was purely a resource or capacity issue, then what we would expect to see is that these poor outcomes would be more evenly distributed across women from all backgrounds, and that isn't what we are seeing.

"What we need to recognise is that for women who are black, these outcomes are experienced at a greater rate and disproportionately so - and we need to ask why."

While medical professionals and government officials undertake the work to find solutions, women of colour continue to experience these problems.

When asked what it feels like to know that her race puts her more at risk, Tenisha says "it causes a lot of stress".

"Constantly thinking, is this the time I am going to pass away? Is my husband going to have to raise the children by themselves? These are the thoughts I had," she admits.

"It's a sad thing to know, but it's the reality."

Shakira says the treatment left her "so scared" that she felt like she "couldn't speak out".

"To be made to feel inferior because of the colour of your skin... it feels so dehumanising," she adds.

Meanwhile, Kadi says she wanted to share her story so that people understand that "when we see the statistics, you have to first of all: look at the faces and the people behind it".

Baroness Merron, parliamentary under-secretary of state for patient safety, women's health and mental health, says it is "absolutely unacceptable that black and Asian women are more likely to die in childbirth than those who are white".

She says: "To be in that position in this day and age is an absolute outrage."

Baroness Merron says the independent investigation will focus on inequalities, adding: "I very much look forward to implementing what we can from that. I am already taking action in terms of tackling discrimination and racism across the NHS because it can't wait any longer."

Have you been affected by poor maternity care? Email maternitystories@sky.uk

She's telling me the painful details of the day her nephew, Hooman, was killed during recent protests in Iran.

The 37-year-old had joined demonstrations against the regime in Lahijan, in the north of the country, when his family says he was fatally shot by government forces in early January.

"Hooman took to the streets without a weapon. He didn't even have a small rock in his pockets to defend himself, but he was shot with a military bullet," his aunt says.

Her distress is palpable.

Throughout the interview she oscillates between heartbreak and utter exhaustion at her powerlessness.

Now living in Germany, Nasrin explains it isn't safe for her to return to Iran so she cannot hold her family as they grieve.

All she has left of Hooman is a framed photo which she kisses as she cries.

Following her nephew's death, she explains his relatives went to collect his body but were told it had been moved to the city of Rasht, a place where authorities are also accused of a violent crackdown on protesters.

Nasrin says a friend in the city told her the bazaar was set on fire and when protesters ran from the flames, security forces opened fire.

After the blaze, government-backed Iranian state TV aired drone footage of the aftermath which it said showed the scene "three days after the terrorist incident of the Rasht bazaar fire".

Nasrin says when her family finally arrived at the place where Hooman's body was being stored many other grieving families were already there.

"They saw so many people crying, all screaming, suffering in every way possible," she explains.

"There were several containers. They said the body was in the containers. When they opened the doors, there were several corpses stacked on top of each other. They had to look for their son."

She claims her relatives were told to bury Hooman immediately and had to sign a document when they left saying that they couldn't talk about what had happened.

"They had to pay money for the bullet that killed their son," she adds.

Hooman had been married for three years when he died.

His young wife is now a widow.

In a post on social media his friend said an hour before Hooman was shot, he'd said if he didn't return, he'd died so others could be free.

"Who do you think is responsible for his death?" I ask Nasrin.

"The Iranian government, the Mullahs. They're all murderers, they all have the blood of the Iranian people on their hands," she quickly replies.

"They shoot the young people and then they demand money for the bullet. Are these the people in power or are they murderers?" she adds.

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The exact death toll following the mass protests which began in late December is difficult to verify.

Iran's government has released the names of around 3,000 people it says were killed, including civilians and security forces.

It blames rioters and foreign interference for fuelling the violence.

'I have no hope about Donald Trump'

Following the crackdown, US President Donald Trump has sent warships towards Iran and repeatedly threatened to use force to make the country reach a deal on its nuclear programme, but Nasrin says it's not enough.

"I have no hope about Donald Trump. They could already help many other Iranian people. They could do sanctions," she says.

"The people of Iran can get rid of this government, but we need to help them. They don't need war."

I ask whether she would support foreign powers going into the country to overturn the regime, or if she believes lasting change can only happen from within.

"From within," she replies. "From outside, they just want war, they want to destroy our country. We don't want that."

Powerless to push for change inside Iran - Nasrin has joined thousands of other Iranians at protests in Germany demanding democracy and justice for the dead; both demands may fail.

Sky News put the allegations made against the Iranian regime in this interview to the Iranian Embassy in London.

At the time of publication, we had not received a reply.

During an appearance Saturday on Brian Tyler Cohen's podcast, the former US president was asked if aliens are real.

"They're real, but I haven't seen them," Mr Obama replied.

Mr Obama also responded to a racist video shared by Donald Trump on social media that depicted him and his wife, Michelle Obama, as apes.

The ex-president did not mention Mr Trump by name, but said the "decorum" and "respect for... office" that used to guide US officials had been lost.

Posting a message on Instagram to clear up what he meant by the aliens comments, the 44th president said: "I was trying to stick with the spirit of the speed round, but since it's gotten attention let me clarify.

"Statistically, the universe is so vast that the odds are good there's life out there.

"But the distances between solar systems are so great that the chances we've been visited by aliens is low, and I saw no evidence during my presidency that extra-terrestrials have made contact with us. Really!"

During the podcast interview, Mr Obama, 64, also said aliens were not being kept at Area 51, an Air Force base in Nevada.

"There's no underground facility, unless there's this enormous conspiracy and they hid it from the president of the United States," Mr Obama said.

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Mr Cohen then asked what Mr Obama's first question was after becoming president.

"Uh, where are the aliens?" he quipped.

Mr Obama has also previously commented on the possible existence of extra-terrestrial life.

During a 2021 appearance on The Late Late Show with James Corden, Mr Obama said that after he took over as president, he sought information on aliens and whether they were being studied in a secret lab. He was told the answer was "no".

But Mr Obama said officials are seriously investigating aerial phenomena that behave in seemingly unexplainable ways.

"There is footage and records of objects in the skies that we don't know exactly what they are," he said.

"We can't explain how they moved, their trajectory. They did not have an easily explainable pattern. I think people still take seriously trying to investigate and figure out what that is."

"It's been two weeks since our mom was taken," Guthrie said in the video posted on Sunday night.

"And I just wanted to come on and say that we still have hope. And we still believe."

"I wanted to say to whoever has her or knows where she is that it's never too late," she continued.

"And you're not lost or alone. And it is never too late to do the right thing.

"And we are here and we believe. And we believe in the essential goodness of every human being. And it's never too late."

The video came hours after the FBI announced a glove appearing to match those worn by a masked person seen outside missing Nancy Guthrie's home had been found two miles away.

The glove, which contains DNA samples, was found in a field near the side of the road and has been sent off for testing.

The FBI said it had received preliminary results on Saturday and was awaiting official confirmation.

Initial reports suggest the glove appears to match those worn by a masked individual seen outside Ms Guthrie's front door the night she vanished.

The 84-year-old was last seen at her Arizona home on 31 January and was reported missing the following day.

Authorities say her blood was found on the front porch.

Read more: What we know about disappearance of TV host's mother

The FBI said it had collected DNA from Ms Guthrie's property, which does not belong to the missing OAP, nor those in close contact with her.

Supposed ransom notes have been sent to news outlets, but two deadlines for paying have passed.

Salary will vary... Depending on the level of the wine professional, maybe somewhere around £30,000-£50,000. I know that in London this can easily rise up to £66,000 before share of tronc [tips and service charge] and bonuses, etc.

There is definitely an issue in the industry that lots of people face with substance abuse or looking to drink to numb pain... and avoid dealing with other parts of life. That was the case for me at least. I've been working in wine for 15 years now but I've been sober for over six years. I talk very liberally about it with people who have asked. It's important to break the stigma around alcohol in the drinks business.

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Hospitality is finally catching up with other industries in terms of work-life balance... Previously, people working in restaurants and bars were working more hours, longer days and more days of the week. In the last five years there has been a shift back to work-life balance. The vast majority of sommeliers are wine professionals in the 40-45 hour bracket, which is fairly standard.

I now work as a sober sommelier... and am still able to build out wine lists without drinking the wines themselves. There are other sober sommeliers in this country and around the world, but not many people know about them, and there is still a misconception that you can't do this job unless you drink. Lots of people are also struggling with alcohol abuse and don't feel like they're in a position to talk about it, so hopefully sharing my story can help change that. So now, I taste and spit, and I'm fairly certain my palate has never been sharper.

Feeling the way the slopes align... when the sun comes up in the morning, or seeing first-hand the influence of the mountains on the vines - that all deepens your understanding of a region and the wine it produces. You can't get a proper gauge on these things until you've visited the vineyard or the cellar, or listened to the winemaker tell the story of the vineyard and talk about their craft.

A wine region/country that is underrated and not spoken about enough is... probably Georgia. I was very fortunate to travel there last May, and it was a big eye-opener of a trip, not just because of the wine culture there but because it was the birthplace of wine, with records dating back thousands and thousands of years. The wines there are so unique and offer a snapshot into times past. It was a war-torn country right on the cross-section of Europe, so you have influences from the war, the spice routes, etc.

One tip for pairing wine with food is... look at what's near and dear from a wine perspective. By this, I mean marry the food with wines from that region. By and large, wherever the dish originated from, or the ingredients are predominantly from, is a good place to start in terms of looking for a wine to pair.

By and large, the more you're willing to spend, the better value the bottle you usually get... Margins are tapered, so those near the very south of the list (more commonly recognised) have the biggest markup. It all depends on the volume of the bottles being ordered - whether affordable or crowd pleasing - these wines have higher margins. The ones with lower margins tend to be slow movers on wine lists. There's an economy that comes into play and so there's more opportunity for getting better value the more money you spend.

There are mark-ups on wines in restaurants... but it's all the other overheads you need to take into consideration that a supermarket doesn't have to take care of. The purchasing of the wine is the same, but on top of that, restaurants have to factor in storage, sorting the wines, printing wine lists, holding back bottles to age, the cost of service, cleaning of glasses, etc. Then you've got to consider how the wines are presented, the rent of the space, heating, lighting and the curation of an atmosphere. In the last few years, restaurateurs have responded to customers with breakdowns of costs, so you can actually see what they're making in terms of profit (which often is very little).

Three tips for navigating the wine list…

1) Engage with the staff and ask for guidance;

2) Have a rough indication of budget in mind;

3) Don't be scared of the unknown - this allows you to find more interesting options that are potentially better value too.

With tricky customers, I... kill them with kindness. But also try to meet them on their level. Certain people have certain likes and dislikes; it's important to understand what these are and find something that fits.

The most classic fault to look for when identifying an off wine is... cork taint, and it's usually fairly obvious from a damp, wet, cardboard aroma. I always trust my first instinct; it's the easiest way to tell if a wine is good to drink. If it doesn't feel right to you from the start, then it's probably not.

When you're asked to taste the wine... it's to see whether it's faulty, not whether you like it. Some restaurants can be a bit funny about guests returning wine that isn't faulty, but because they don't like it. But the money hasn't just gone to waste if the bottle is returned from the table, sometimes we take a bottle back and work it into a wine pairing or use it for training the team. We usually try to cover the costs of the bottle with sales by the glass and move on.

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The biggest mistake people make when trying wine is... they try to think about too many things at once, but if they like the wine and it makes them feel good, then it's the right wine for them. It's a learning we've borrowed from the whisky industry - lots of people get quite stubborn about the way people should be drinking things, very prescriptive with lots of rules. But at the end of the day, if you want your white wine with ice in it and will enjoy it more that way, then that's fine.

You can get very simple hand pumps that help keep opened bottles fresh... and tightly sealing cork stoppers too. You can seal the wine with the latter, and it gives length and longevity to the freshness. You can get more expensive versions of the hand pumps that are electric, but a hand pump has a big impact, and some of them are as little as £15.

The hardest part of the job that diners never see... is all the back-of-house bits. Service is the glamorous bit, but in terms of organisation, we have to think about things like cellar or storage space, keeping wine lists up to date, co-ordinating deliveries, checking vintages are right, checking the right bottles have been dropped off, categorising them correctly and making sure they're stored correctly. There's a lot to juggle.

In the supermarket... try to search for the humble Vin de France, Vino Bianco/Rosso. These wines may not come with a storied appellation written on the label, but you can often find exceptional value for money from emerging regions and producers who are eschewing the need for an appellation-stamp-of-approval.

The only thing that is a little intimidating is... the idea that wine knowledge is a never ending pursuit. No one can ever really conquer the craft of wine in this industry. Just when you think you're getting close, there are new vintages to get your head around, new producers to meet, new climatic changes to consider. It feels a little relentless but it's good fun.