Community midwives across Lancashire Teaching Hospitals and Liverpool Women’s Hospital have been shortlisted for the Johnson’s ® Award for Excellence in Maternity Care in the annual Royal College of Midwives Awards (RCM Awards).
The team have been shortlisted for their work on the STRAWB2 (Stress and Wellbeing after Childbirth) research project, which aims to look at the effectiveness of self-help material given by midwives to women in preventing post-traumatic stress symptoms.
Some women will experience their birth as traumatic. Whilst most women will naturally adjust without difficulty, a small number will develop PTSD or partial PTSD. This can be highly distressing and can adversely affect not just the woman’s own mental health but relationships with their infant and their partner too.
The STRAWB2 trial has consisted of over 100 specially trained community midwives across both hospitals being trained to recruit women postnatally, to assess whether they have experienced birth as traumatic using a screening tool. If so, the women are then randomised to receive either self-help materials or usual routine care.
Women who take part are randomly allocated to one of two groups. The first group are given self-help material, which consists of a leaflet and a web link to a film which aim to explain about ways to cope with stressful situations. Those within the second group receive the usual standard of care. Women in both groups are followed up with a telephone call 6-12 weeks after they have been recruited and are then asked a number of questions in order to see how many have developed post-traumatic stress.
Professor Pauline Slade, Professor in Clinical Psychology and Consultant Clinical Psychologist at the University of Liverpool, is the Principal Investigator for the trial. Pauline said: “Midwives are very aware of the impact a traumatic birth can have on women and their families but often have little training to provide direct help themselves. This midwifery initiative facilitates understanding of the psychological processes of PTSD and provides the tools to contribute to its prevention. Postnatal women are at an important transition in their lives, and an infant’s first 1000 days are recognised to be of critical importance for their development and future health and thus preventing mental health difficulties following birth is critical.”
Gail Naylor, Nursing, Midwifery and Allied Health Professional Director at Lancashire Teaching Hospitals, said: “I am delighted that our team have been shortlisted for the Excellence in Maternity Care Award. This is testament to the hard work and dedication of every single member of the team in providing the best care possible for our new mothers and their families.”