Birth reflections

Read our guide below on our birth reflections service.

You can also download a PDF version of this patient information by following the link on the right.

What is birth reflections?

It gives people who have given birth at Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust the opportunity to talk about their birth experience. You can explore your feelings with a midwife.

It’s not always easy to take in all the information you get during labour, birth or immediately after. A review of your notes might help you to ‘fill in the gaps’. 

What can you help with?

We can help you understand and overcome issues including:

• a traumatic birth
• confusion and memory loss about events and timings
• unanswered questions about the birth
• difficulty understanding the actions or processes during your pregnancy and birth.

How long are the appointments and where do they take place?

Appointments happen virtually and they last around an hour. You might want to attend with your partner, a friend or a family member.

We suggest waiting up to 6 weeks after the delivery to give yourself time to process what happened. We can offer you an appointment up to a year after the birth.

How do I make an appointment?

Email bht.birthreflections@nhs.net, or complete our online referral form.

We’ll then call you to arrange your birth reflections appointment.

Is birth reflections right for me?

It’s important to consider whether this service is right for you.

We advise contacting NHS Buckinghamshire Talking Therapies for mental health support before seeing us if you have:

• flashbacks
• anxiety
• depression
• any other mental health problems as a result of the birth.

You can self-refer to NHS Buckinghamshire Talking Therapies or call 01865 901600.

Complaints, concerns and compliments

Birth reflections isn’t a complaints or feedback service. If you have any concerns about your care, contact our Patient Advice and Liaison Service.

How can I help reduce healthcare associated infections?

Infection prevention and control is important to the wellbeing of our patients so we have procedures in place. Keeping your hands clean is an effective way of preventing the spread of infections.

You, and anyone visiting you, must use the hand sanitiser available at the entrance to every ward before coming in and after you leave. You may need to wash your hands at the sink using soap and water. Hand sanitisers are not suitable for dealing with patients who have symptoms of diarrhoea.