Over half of women who had traumatic childbirth say ordeal ‘put them off more kids’

Over half of women whose experience of childbirth was traumatic say the ordeal has put them off having more children, according to a new study.

The report, by Mumsnet, discovered that 53 per cent of mothers who had a distressing birth say the trauma has deterred them from giving birth again.

Researchers, who polled 1,000 members of the Mumsnet platform, discovered around eight in ten had endured birth trauma.

Over four in ten of those who grappled with birth trauma said healthcare professionals used language which implied they were “a failure or to blame” for the situation.

It comes as two women spoke to The Independent about their traumatic experiences of childbirth - with one saying she obtained a long-term disability which noticeably impacts her ability to walk.

Theo Clarke, a Tory MP who established an All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) dedicated to birth trauma, argued more needed to be done to safeguard women from this issue.

Ms Clarke, MP for Stafford, said it was "vitally important" for women to get the care and support they require after going through a traumatic birth - with thousands of women experiencing this each year.

She has previously spoken out about her own difficult experience of childbirth, describing how she thought she was "going to die" after suffering a third-degree tear and needing emergency surgery.

The new research found around seven in ten of those who faced trauma during childbirth said their problems had not been solved a year after the experience.

Three quarters of those polled for the new survey said they felt health professionals had become "desensitised" to birth trauma.

Almost two thirds of those polled said they did not believe healthcare workers did everything they could to prevent the birth trauma from taking place, while around the same proportion said there was a "lack of compassion" from healthcare professionals in labour.

Ms Clarke said: "These survey results are deeply upsetting. They speak to my own experience of birth trauma and quite clearly to many, many other women's horrendous experiences too.”

She explained the aim of the APPG is to ensure birth trauma is included in the government’s women’s health strategy.

The politician added: "The survey is clear that more compassion, education and better after-care for mothers who suffer birth trauma are desperately needed if we are to see an improvement in mums' physical wellbeing and mental health.”

Nikki Wilson, chief executive of Make Birth Better, told The Independent the findings were “shocking” and “they show we need to act and act now.”

She said the statistics “very clearly show the lack of awareness around birth trauma amongst healthcare professionals”.

Ms Wilson added: “Trauma-informed care is one of the key topics we cover in our training: it is vital when it comes to trauma prevention and healing.

“And not just for parents: professionals benefit from it just as much, as it ensures psychological safety for them too. Much needed in a fast-paced, high-pressured, understaffed environment that is the current NHS climate.

“Secondly, it shows the impact of trauma on people's lives and choices.”

While the creation of an APPG on birth trauma, as well as a debate in parliament on this issue, marks a “milestone”, it is “also just a start”, she added.

Kim Thomas, chief executive of the Birth Trauma Association, said: "It is time for a complete overhaul in the way women experience maternity.

"This should include: honest, evidence-based antenatal education; compassionate and professional care during labour; and postnatal care that is designed to identify and treat every birth injury or mental health problem.

"A maternity system that puts women at the heart of care is not some kind of unfeasibly high goal - it is the bare minimum that women have the right to expect.”

A Department of Health and Social Care Spokesperson said they are “investing an additional £165 million per year to grow and support the maternity workforce and improve neonatal care”.

The representative noted NHS England recently released a three-year plan to ensure maternity and neonatal care is “safer, more personalised, and more equitable for women, babies, and families”.

“To support women following trauma related to their maternity experience, we are rolling out 33 new maternal mental health services, which will be available across England by March 2024,” the spokesperson added.

Additional reporting from Press Association