‘Like having your heart ripped out’: Metaphors of loss and survival in the narratives of incarcerated mothers separated from their babies

This article examines the experiences of women in prison separated from their babies. Based on qualitative data from the Lost Mothers Project, including 29 interviews with imprisoned women, this article adopts a secondary analysis drawing upon conceptual metaphor analysis as a methodological framework. The research revealed that enforced separation inflicts profound emotional and psychological pain, characterised by grief, guilt, shame, and enduring trauma. Many women describe the separation as a form of state-sanctioned loss, likened to bereavement, yet one they are not permitted to openly grieve. Institutional processes, such as delays in decisions about mother-and-baby units, inconsistent policies, and a lack of compassionate care, intensify this suffering. This article shows how metaphors can illuminate experiences obscured through incarceration and expose the emotional toil concealed in the prison environment. The findings illustrated the extreme emotional impact of separation and the structural and systemic failings that both surround and lead to separation.