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Essential reading for healthcare professionals to better understand and recognise postnatal PTSD and support parents

About the Author

Kim Thomas is the CEO of the Birth Trauma Association. She is a freelance journalist writing on health, education and social care and has written extensively for national newspapers, including the Guardian, the Independent and the Financial Times. Kim has also delivered presentations on birth trauma at conferences and training sessions for midwives and obstetricians. http://kimthomas.co.uk/


Shona McCann is a midwife with 28 years experience and in 2013 the first permanent specialist PMH Midwife in Scotland. Shona has won multiple awards, appeared in publications, television and radio. She developed midwife clinics for women with mental health issues, is the Maternity Lead in the PMH MCN, is the chair of the PMH midwives meeting in Scotland with the MCN , vice chair of the RCM PMH forum and regularly presents at conferences. She has also advised Maternity services across the UK on the development of PMH midwifery provision.

Reviews

I was moved to tears by these powerful stories of birth trauma, linked by a digest of historical context and research evidence. Expert compassionate care can prevent damaging psychosocial consequences for women and families, whilst professionals themselves need to be shown the same kindness. This book is often heart-breaking but ultimately hopeful. -- Dr Jane Morris, Consultant Perinatal Psychiatrist and Medical Psychotherapist
A well-informed, comprehensive book based on research evidence and people's experiences of postnatal PTSD. Essential reading for maternity care professionals. -- Professor Susan Ayers, City, University of London

The importance of this book cannot be overestimated. Not only do the authors provide a comprehensive theoretical understanding and practical tool for practitioners, each chapter is steeped in compassion and understanding. This book provides all of us working in the perinatal landscape a brilliantly evidenced and researched tool to better understand perinatal PTSD with compassion and understanding. We are the first generation to understand trauma in such depth and this book provides a clear, well researched analysis brought to life with women's stories. This is a great tool for professionals which I hope leads to high quality and compassionate care for all women during the perinatal period.

-- Laura Seebohm, Maternal Mental Health Alliance
We don't usually do book reviews, but this is informative and timely work. As it says at the end; a maternity care system that recognises that birth can be traumatic, and that emphasises kindness, dignity, and respect, works better for everyone - midwives, obstetricians, mothers, and babies. Kim and Shona's expertise and experience, plus the stories from women, their partners and professionals involved in care, illuminates the book. Running though it all, from the history and recognition of PTSD to how it manifests as postnatal PTSD linked to traumatic birth, is the importance of good communication and listening to women and their partners. It also has a chapter on recognising and suggesting help for the often forgotten or ignored secondary traumatic stress and moral injury that can be experienced by midwives, obstetricians and other professionals who've been present at a traumatic birth * The Nursing and Midwifery Council *