The Maternity Debrief Service
Our dedicated maternity debrief service is here for you if you or your partner are struggling to process or understand your birth or experiences during the pregnancy or after the birth, feel unhappy about your birth outcome, the birth wasn’t what you expected or planned or you experienced a difficult or traumatic birth, you would like to fill in the gaps or piece together what happened.
This appointment can be provided virtually via ‘Attend Anywhere’, a video consultation system, or face to face*.
*face to face appointments may take longer to arrange.
The debrief referral process
If you birthed with us, then your Midwife, Health Visitor or GP can refer you for a debrief appointment when you feel ready. We recommend the debrief referral is made after 10 days of birth, enabling some recovery time. The appointment usually takes place by 12 weeks of referral.
On receiving your referral, if appropriate, we may request a joint appointment with an obstetric, paediatric, or anaesthetic consultant. We may need to call you to plan for who you would like to be present at the debrief. Waiting times for joint appointments can be longer as they depend upon consultant availability.
A member of our coordinator team will contact you to arrange your appointment. Please be aware that telephone calls from us may appear as a withheld number and emails may arrive in spam.
The debrief appointment
A senior midwife will provide a safe, supportive, and confidential listening space for you and your partner or birth partner to share your birth story and explore your birth experience, to act as an advocate, with reference to your maternity records.
We provide debrief appointments for women and people after birth or in pregnancy and offer additional information and resources to support your ongoing emotional health and well-being and future birth planning.
This appointment can be provided virtually via ‘Attend Anywhere’, a video consultation system, or face to face.
Looking after you and your partner’s emotional health
We hope that the debrief feels therapeutic for you, but it isn’t counselling. If you or your partner need mental health support, please contact your GP or self-refer to Health in Mind.
You may also contact the Birth Trauma Association for additional support.
You may prefer to attend counselling before your debrief. You can choose one, or both in any order, as required. If you are receiving care from the Perinatal Mental Health Team, please discuss this with them so you can plan the most appropriate timing in partnership.