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A traumatic childbirth experience affects ~30% of women each year, with negative impacts on maternal, infant, and family wellbeing. Women classified as vulnerable or marginalised are those more likely to experience a psychologically traumatising birth. A key contributory factor for a traumatic childbirth experience is women's relationships with maternity care providers. To develop, design and evaluate an immersive educational programme for maternity care providers to raise awareness of traumatic childbirth experiences amongst vulnerable groups, and ultimately to improve women's experiences of childbirth. A critical pedagogical approach that utilised virtual reality (VR) underpinned the design and development of the educational programme. This involved: a) collecting vulnerable/disadvantaged women's experiences of birth via interviews; b) analysing data collected to identify key hotspots for traumatic experiences within interpersonal patient-provider relationships to develop a script; c) filming the script with professional actors creating a first person perspective via VR technology; d) using existing literature to inform the theoretical and reflective aspects of the programme; e) conducting an evaluation of the education programme using pre-and post-evaluation questionnaires and a follow-up focus group. Human Perspective VR was very well received. Participants considered the content to have enhanced their reflective practice and increased their knowledge base regarding contributory factors associated with a traumatic childbirth experience. A need for further work to implement learning into practice was highlighted. While further research is needed to evaluate the impact of the programme, Human Perspective VR programme offers an innovative approach to reflective education and to enhance participants' care practices.

UK legislation and government policy favour women’s rights to bodily autonomy and active involvement in childbirth decision-making including the right to decline recommendations of care/treatment. However, evidence suggests that both women and maternity professionals can face challenges enacting decisions outside of sociocultural norms. This study explored how NHS midwives facilitated women’s alternative physiological birthing choices–defined in this study as ‘birth choices that go outside of local/national maternity guidelines or when women decline recommended treatment of care , in the pursuit of a physiological birth’ . The study was underpinned by a feminist pragmatist theoretical framework and narrative methodology was used to collect professional stories of practice via self-written narratives and interviews. Through purposive and snowball sampling, a diverse sample in terms of age, years of experience, workplace settings and model of care they operated within, 45 NHS midwives from across the UK were recruited. Data were analysed using narrative thematic that generated four themes that described midwives’ processes of facilitating women’s alternative physiological births: 1. Relationship building, 2. Processes of support and facilitation, 3. Behind the scenes, 4. Birth facilitation. Collectively, the midwives were involved in a wide range of alternative birth choices across all birth settings. Fundamental to their practice was the development of mutually trusting relationships with the women which were strongly asserted a key component of safe care. The participants highlighted a wide range of personal and advanced clinical skills which was framed within an inherent desire to meet the women’s needs. Capturing what has been successfully achieved within institutionalised settings, specifically how, maternity providers may benefit from the findings of this study.

Over a third of pregnant women (around 250,000) each year in the United Kingdom have experienced trauma such as domestic abuse, childhood trauma or sexual assault. These experiences can have a long-term impact on women's mental and physical health. This global qualitative evidence synthesis explores the views of women and maternity care professionals on routine discussion of previous trauma in the perinatal period. Systematic database searches (MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL Plus, APA PsycINFO and Global Index Medicus) were conducted in July 2021 and updated in April 2022. The quality of each study was assessed using the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme. We thematically synthesised the data and assessed confidence in findings using GRADE-CERQual. We included 25 papers, from five countries, published between 2001 and 2022. All the studies were conducted in high-income countries; therefore findings cannot be applied to low- or middle-income countries. Confidence in most of the review findings was moderate or high. The findings are presented in six themes. These themes described how women and clinicians felt trauma discussions were valuable and worthwhile, provided there was adequate time and appropriate referral pathways. However, women often found being asked about previous trauma to be unexpected and intrusive, and women with limited English faced additional challenges. Many pregnant women were unaware of the extent of the trauma they have suffered, or its impact on their lives. Before disclosing trauma, women needed to have a trusting relationship with a clinician; even so, some women chose not to share their histories. Hearing trauma disclosures could be distressing for clinicians. Discussions of previous trauma should be undertaken when women want to have the discussion, when there is time to understand and respond to the needs and concerns of each individual, and when there are effective resources available for follow up if needed. Continuity of carer should be considered a key feature of routine trauma discussion, as many women will not disclose their histories to a stranger. All women should be provided with information about the impact of trauma and how to independently access support in the event of non-disclosures. Care providers need support to carry out these discussions.

Background Many women use pharmacological or non-pharmacological pain relief during childbirth. Evidence from Cochrane reviews shows that effective pain relief is not always associated with high maternal satisfaction scores. However, understanding women’s views is important for good quality maternity care provision. We undertook a qualitative evidence synthesis of women’s views and experiences of pharmacological (epidural, opioid analgesia) and non-pharmacological (relaxation, massage techniques) pain relief options, to understand what affects women’s decisions and choices and to inform guidelines, policy, and practice. Methods We searched seven electronic databases (MEDLINE, CINAHL, PsycINFO, AMED, EMBASE, Global Index Medicus, AJOL), tracked citations and checked references. We used thematic and meta-ethnographic techniques for analysis purposes, and GRADE-CERQual tool to assess confidence in review findings. We developed review findings for each method. We then re-analysed the review findings thematically to highlight similarities and differences in women’s accounts of different pain relief methods . Results From 11,782 hits, we screened full 58 papers. Twenty-four studies provided findings for the synthesis: epidural ( n  = 12), opioids ( n  = 3), relaxation ( n  = 8) and massage ( n  = 4) – all conducted in upper-middle and high-income countries (HMICs). Re-analysis of the review findings produced five key themes. ‘ Desires for pain relief’ illuminates different reasons for using pharmacological or non-pharmacological pain relief. ‘Impact on pain’ describes varying levels of effectiveness of the methods used. ‘ Influence and experience of support’ highlights women’s positive or negative experiences of support from professionals and/or birth companions. ‘ Influence on focus and capabilities’ illustrates that all pain relief methods can facilitate maternal control, but some found non-pharmacological techniques less effective than anticipated, and others reported complications associated with medication use. Finally, ‘ impact on wellbeing and health’ reports that whilst some women were satisfied with their pain relief method, medication was associated with negative self-reprisals, whereas women taught relaxation techniques often continued to use these methods with beneficial outcomes. Conclusion Women report mixed experiences of different pain relief methods. Pharmacological methods can reduce pain but have negative side-effects. Non-pharmacological methods may not reduce labour pain but can facilitate bonding with professionals and birth supporters. Women need information on risks and benefits of all available pain relief methods.

Background Freebirthing or unassisted birth is the active choice made by a woman to birth without a trained professional present, even where there is access to maternity provision. This is a radical childbirth choice, which has potential morbidity and mortality risks for mother and baby. While a number of studies have explored women’s freebirth experiences, there has been no research undertaken in the UK. The aim of this study was to explore and identify what influenced women’s decision to freebirth in a UK context. Methods An interpretive phenomenological approach was adopted. Advertisements were posted on freebirth websites, and ten women participated in the study by completing a narrative ( n  = 9) and/or taking part in an in-depth interview ( n  = 10). Data analysis was carried out using interpretative methods informed by Heidegger and Gadamer’s hermeneutic-phenomenological concepts. Results Three main themes emerged from the data. Contextualising herstory describes how the participants’ backgrounds (personal and/or childbirth related) influenced their decision making . Diverging paths of decision making provides more detailed insights into how and why women’s different backgrounds and experiences of childbirth and maternity care influenced their decision to freebirth. C onverging path of decision making, outlines the commonalities in women’s narratives in terms of how they sought to validate their decision to freebirth, such as through self-directed research, enlisting the support of others and conceptualising risk. Conclusion The UK based midwifery philosophy of woman-centred care that tailors care to individual needs is not always carried out, leaving women to feel disillusioned, unsafe and opting out of any form of professionalised care for their births. Maternity services need to provide support for women who have experienced a previous traumatic birth. Midwives also need to help restore relationships with women, and co-create birth plans that enable women to be active agents in their birthing decisions even if they challenge normative practices. The fact that women choose to freebirth in order to create a calm, quiet birthing space that is free from clinical interruptions and that enhances the physiology of labour, should be a key consideration.

When newly qualified midwives in Germany commence work in free-standing birth centres, a setting dissimilar to the hospitals where they trained, they undergo a period of orientation in which they must broaden their skills and knowledge. Using a hermeneutic phenomenological framework, this study explored their skill and knowledge acquisition in the first 9–12 months using two methods of data collection—voice messaging and interviews. As there appeared to be important differences in what was shared using these different methods of data collection, further analysis was undertaken. This paper presents a secondary analysis of a larger study on the training of newly qualified midwives in out-of-hospital birth settings. In this secondary analysis, the aims were (a) to compare and identify distinct aspects of the same lived experience as they were revealed in different forms of data collection; and (b) to draw on philosophical inquiry to deepen our understanding of professional learning and identity formation for newly qualified midwives. Participants included fifteen newly qualified midwives who were each interviewed three times in their first year working in a free-standing birth centre. In addition to this, they also left a total of 123 voice messages, in which they shared emotionally profound experiences. Data analysis focused on exploring the similarities and differences of the same stories of attending a birth told through voice messaging close to the actual experience and again in an in-person interview up to several months later. Voice messaging captured immediate, visceral reactions. The unstructured interviews revealed reflective, contextualised perspectives, bringing social, environmental, and wider contextual factors into view. Together, these findings show how temporality and data collection method shape the disclosure of meaning in lived experience and illustrate the value of using multiple methods to expand interpretive depth in hermeneutic phenomenological inquiry. This research advances hermeneutic phenomenological research methods by demonstrating that multiple methods of data collection can provide distinct layers of meaning in lived experience accounts.

Peer support is a widely used intervention that offers information and emotional support to parents during their infant's admission to the neonatal unit and/or post-discharge. Despite its widespread use, there are no comprehensive insights into the nature and types of neonatal-related peer support, or the training and support offered to peer supporters. We aimed to bridge these knowledge gaps via an international study into neonatal peer support provision. A mixed-methods study comprising an online survey was issued to peer support services/organisations, and follow-up interviews held with a purposive sample of survey respondents. Survey/interview questions explored the funding, types of peer support and the recruitment, training and support for peer supporters. Descriptive and thematic analysis was undertaken. Thirty-one managers/coordinators/trainers and 77 peer supporters completed the survey from 48 peer support organisations/services in 16 different countries; with 26 interviews undertaken with 27 survey respondents. We integrated survey and interview findings into five themes: 'background and infrastructure of peer support services', 'timing, location and nature of peer support', 'recruitment and suitability of peer supporters', 'training provision' and 'professional and emotional support'. Findings highlight variations in the types of peer support provided, training and development opportunities, supervisory and mentoring arrangements and the methods of recruitment and support for peer supporters; with these differences largely related to the size, funding, multidisciplinary involvement, and level of integration of peer support within healthcare pathways and contexts. Despite challenges, promising strategies were reported across the different services to inform macro (e.g. to facilitate management and leadership support), meso (e.g. to help embed peer support in practice) and micro (e.g. to improve training, supervision and support of peer supporters) recommendations to underpin the operationalisation and delivery of PS provision.

Background Poor parental mental health in the perinatal period has detrimental impacts on the lives and relationships of parents and their babies. Parents whose babies are born premature and/or sick and require neonatal care or those who experience perinatal loss are at increased risk of adverse mental health outcomes. In 2021 a North-West charity received funding to offer psychological support to service users of infants admitted to neonatal care or those who had experienced perinatal loss, named the Family Well-being Service (FWS). The FWS offered three different types of support – ad hoc support at the neonatal units or specialist clinics; one-to-one person-centred therapy; or group counselling. Here we report the qualitative findings from an independent evaluation of the FWS. Methods Thirty-seven interviews took place online or over the phone with 16 service users (of whom two took part in a follow-up interview), eight FWS providers and 11 healthcare professionals. Interviews were coded and analysed using thematic analysis. Results The analysis revealed two themes. ‘Creating time and space for support’ detailed the informational, contextual, and relational basis of the service. This theme describes the importance of tailoring communications and having a flexible and proactive approach to service user engagement. Service users valued being listened to without judgement and having the space to discuss their own needs with a therapist who was independent of healthcare. Communication, access, and service delivery barriers are also highlighted. The second theme - ‘making a difference’ - describes the cognitive, emotional, and interpersonal benefits for service users. These included service users being provided with tools for positive coping, and how the support had led to enhanced well-being, improved relationships, and confidence in returning to work. Conclusion The findings complement and extend the existing literature by offering new insights into therapeutic support for service users experiencing adverse neonatal experiences or perinatal loss. Key mechanisms of effective support, irrespective of whether it is provided on a one-to-one or group basis were identified. These mechanisms include clear information, flexibility (in access or delivery), being independent of statutory provision, focused on individual needs, active listening, the use of therapeutic tools, and positive relationships with the therapist. Further opportunities to engage with those less willing to take up mental health support should be developed.

Hermeneutic phenomenology (HP) as research method is increasingly used in health and social science studies to collect and analyze lived experiential descriptions (LEDs) of a phenomenon. However, currently there is little guidance in how to apply philosophical notions to interpret LEDs in HP studies and this approach has faced critique in how meaning is attributed. In this paper, we offer clarity about what “we do” in HP studies. It does not present a comparative analysis of qualitative approaches or claim to present an inflexible “how to” menu. The purpose is to provide guidance to those new to this methodology or/and for less experienced supervisors of postgraduate research students using this approach for the first time. The focus is specifically on conducting HP research and how philosophical notions are used to inform methodological decisions. Drawing upon data from our empirical projects we illuminate how meaning is surfaced, demonstrating a key feature of HP studies in the use of philosophical notions to uncover ontological significance. Consideration is also offered on how trustworthiness in HP studies can be achieved. The key contention is how the philosophical underpinnings of HP thinking, and the constant call to be reflexive, draws forth hitherto unspoken meaning that can inform new thinking and practice.

Background Maternal violence, in terms of obstetric violence and/or the disrespect and abuse of women and birthing people accessing maternity care, is a global concern. This mistreatment and experience of maternal violence and harm has negative physical and psychological impacts on women, birthing people and their babies. This paper evaluates a multipartner project which aimed to co-produce specialist resources to support women and birthing people who had experienced violence and harm. The evaluation sought to understand the collaborative and co-production processes employed and to identify recommendations and learning from the project. Methods An ethnographic-based evaluation based on action research and participatory action research principles was undertaken using qualitative interviews, documentary review and observations. The data were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. Results A total of 18 interviews were conducted with 21 participants from the lead, project partner and onward grant recipient organizations. In addition, 80 documents were reviewed, and 9 collaborative group meetings and 2 in-person events were observed. Factors which supported and inhibited effective collaborative working and co-production were identified in five aspects: ensuring inclusivity, clarity and transparency, building and maintaining relationships, collaboration and cooperation and active learning. Conclusions Effective collaborative co-production needs to consider issues of inclusivity and diversity and to ensure clarity and transparency in terms of remit, commitments and finances. Building and maintaining relationships between partners and communities by creating a safe space for participation and inclusive leadership was crucial. Recommendations from the evaluation include the need to ensure mechanisms for clear communication within projects from their inception as well as the need to acknowledge and proactively address issues of diversity and inclusivity throughout all aspects of the co-production process to support the fullest participation from diverse stakeholders.