For some women, the birth of their baby is one of the happiest days of their lives. Others remember it as a frightening, overwhelming or deeply distressing experience. Around one in three women report their birth experience as traumatic.

Women can be traumatised during birth when there is a medical emergency such as a caesarean section, heavy bleeding, or a newborn baby needing intensive care.

But it’s not always the emergency itself that leaves a lasting impact. Women also experience trauma when they feel they are not being listened to, don’t have enough information, or when procedures are carried out without their full consent.

Of the women who experience a traumatic birth, around one in five develop post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). PTSD may involve symptoms of unwanted memories, nightmares or flashbacks, avoiding reminders of the birth, or feeling constantly on edge.

So can debriefing about a difficult birth stop it turning into trauma?

Not all women find debriefing helpful

Many hospitals offer postnatal debriefing of women’s birth experiences, but there is no single agreed way to do it.

It might be a general conversation as part of routine care with a maternity health professional caring for the woman.

Or it might be a planned, one-off structured session with hospital staff specifically to discuss a birth, emergency or difficult........

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