Postnatal consultations with an obstetrician after critical perinatal events: a qualitative study of what women and their partners experience

Introduction and aim: Women who experience critical perinatal events are at enhanced risk of perinatal depression and post-traumatic stress disorder. Research on postnatal midwifery consultations showed that most women had a need for a postnatal consultation, preferably with the midwife and/or the obstetrician who had attended the birth. The objective of this study was to explore the experiences of attending postnatal consultations with an obstetrician in women and their partners after critical perinatal events. Methods: We did a qualitative interview study with 17 participants (ten women and seven partners) recruited from the department of obstetrics at a large hospital in Denmark. We did semi-structured individual narrative interviews exploring the lived experiences. Interviews were analyzed using a phenomenological approach. The thematic analysis was validated by a transdisciplinary group of anthropologists and clinicians. Results: Six major themes were identified: 1) timing of and expectations towards the postnatal consultation, 2) relational continuity, 3) importance of discussing emotional aspects, 4) partner’s attendance or non-attendance in the postnatal consultation, 5) preparing for future pregnancies, and 6) closure on the extraordinary family genesis. Most participants emphasized the importance of having a personal relationship with the obstetrician who conducted the postnatal consultation. For most of the participants relational continuity was pivotal. Many of the women and their partners described a need to discuss the more psychological aspects of the experience and how it had affected them emotionally. When the obstetrician did encourage discussing the emotional aspects, the participants were positively surprised. Conclusion: Our results indicate that the postnatal consultation is an essential tool for women and their partners in processing their birth experience. It is important to assign an obstetrician they already know and to encourage them to discuss the emotional aspects of the experience.