We did not find any high quality evidence to inform practice, with substantial heterogeneity being found between the studies conducted to date. There is little or no evidence to support either a positive or adverse effect of psychological debriefing for the prevention of psychological trauma in women following childbirth. There is no evidence to support routine debriefing for women who perceive giving birth as psychologically traumatic. carry out an assessment including the points in recommendations 1.2.1 to 1.2.5 and taking into account the time since the birth

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Even today, women are taught to fear birth. We’re told to not trust our bodies. We aren’t educated and empowered to understand birth as a normal, physiological process. This will be facilitated by Illiyin Morrison, a midwife, an experienced birth debrief facilitator, mother and author.

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Having the opportunity to understand what happened, in the context of the people involved, and the setting where birth occurs can help answer the very important question: ‘Why?’. Being able to process their experience with the facts provides women with the chance to tell their story in a new light.

Postnatal/Prenatal Birth Debrief - Mixing Up Motherhood Postnatal/Prenatal Birth Debrief - Mixing Up Motherhood

Some doulas and birth educators offer birth debriefing support and/or have perinatal counselling qualifications. It is possible to get help if you have experienced birth trauma. For some women, a debriefing session will be enough. Others find that they respond better to talking therapy and some women find that medication can be an important part of their recovery. A difficult birth is not always linked to a traumatic birth event. You may have felt powerless, or unclear about exactly what happened during the birth (Elmir et al 2010, BTA 2009). Or you may have felt intense disappointment that the birth didn't go as you'd hoped (BTA 2009). They feel reassured and to some extent believed. In these cases, a birth debrief can help some women with symptoms of postnatal depression. 'It allows improvements to be made' I had a debrief with Illy 19 months after giving birth. I had tried an NHS debrief, but I came away just feeling “nothing went wrong, why do I feel so hurt by what happened?”.Stacey speaks to how her two birth experiences were vastly different, even though they were both unplanned c-sections. Royal College of Obstetrics and Gynaecology. RCOG statement on the NHSLA report ‘10 Years of Maternity Claims’. 2012. Available from www.rcog.org.uk/en/news/rcog-statement-on-the-nhsla-report-10-years-of-maternity-claims/ The past few generations of women gave birth in a system that ignored the emotional and mental benefits of positive birth. Women were subjected to horrific practices in an attempt to get them through birth painlessly. In this situation, Rhea says, a woman who isn’t able to integrate her birth experience is left with intense feelings of guilt, shame and failure. But there is also a tiny newborn baby to care for. A birth to physically heal from. Tiredness to live with. And all the daily pressures of life to focus on.