Why Birth Trauma Matters

This is one of the newest titles in the series Why it Matters. These books aim to give an evidence based approach to issues in and around pregnancy, birth and parenting. I have dipped in and out of various books within the series and have found them helpful on various topics. This book is aimed at the general public, but I believe it is useful to all those working within the area of pregnancy and birth.

Mental health in the perinatal period has never been more of a relevant topic with maternal suicide being the fifth most common cause of death in the perinatal period (NEPU, 2018). Cuts to mental health budgets and the closure of local mental health units has led to a crises of provision, and a lack of services available for even the most common mental health issues (TUC, 2018). Whilst this book doesn't set out to solve these issues, it is an important context to note as the book reflects on this at points.