Parents’ Perspectives of Birth Trauma During COVID-19

Aim: The COVID-19 pandemic, and related restrictions in maternity settings, elevated the risk factors for traumatic birth experiences. Indeed, quantitative research has found higher levels of acute stress responses following birth during the pandemic. The present research aimed to qualitatively examine and describe traumatic birth experiences during the pandemic from the perspective of birthing people. The study sought to understand the contributing factors, impacts, support birthing people received and service improvements that could be made.

Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with fifteen participants who self-identified as having experienced a traumatic birth during the COVID-19 pandemic in NHS maternity services (March 2020 – August 2021). Recruitment was supported by a charity and through snowballing techniques. Thematic analysis was employed to analyse the data and interpret the findings.

Results: The analysis resulted in the development of three themes. The first theme, ‘Vulnerability and Disempowerment’, spoke to participants’ lack of control over their experiences, dehumanising treatment during labour, and being alone with a lack of an advocate. The second, ‘Emotional Magnitude and Lasting Impacts’, referred to the significant emotional toll of participants’ experiences, and the impact on their key relationships and trust in the wider healthcare system. The final theme, ‘Isolation and Loss’, described participants’ feelings of isolation and loss of experiences, due to the pandemic.

Conclusions: Overall, participants spoke to experiences during pregnancy, labour and postpartum that contributed to childbirth trauma during the pandemic. Factors that exacerbated experiences of distress, and the wide-ranging and extensive impact of their experiences, were also reported. Service recommendations included a need for greater support, more compassionate care, and a move towards a trauma-informed framework in care delivery within maternity services. Birth-reflections and adequate, timely emotional support were suggested as factors to help mitigate experiences of distress. Implications for prevention policy and future research have also been presented.