Birth Reflections Service

After a baby is born, it can help to talk about your experience. You might want to ask questions about what happened and why. You and your partner may choose to reflect on your feelings and how the birth felt for you. The Birth Reflections Service is there to let people share how they feel and help get the answers they need. They can help you to better understand what happened during the birth.

The Birth Reflections Service is a listening and information giving service. It is led by midwives. It is open to all birthing people and their partners who have had maternity care at Leicester’s Hospitals. They are also there for those who are planning to have another baby.

Pregnancy and childbirth can be emotionally challenging. The Birth Reflections team can help recognise and support you with any mental health difficulties. They work closely with the perinatal and maternal mental health teams and can guide you towards the support that would suit your needs best.

The Birth Reflections service welcomes all people and they want to do what they can to make it a safe and comfortable experience for you. For this reason, they can offer you a choice of where to have your session.

• You can book a face to face appointment in the Birth Reflections room at Leicester General Hospital. The room is a comfortable, relaxed space away from the maternity unit
• One of their midwives can come to visit you at your home
• For some, there may not be a place to speak freely or without interruptions at home. They can also offer video appointments so you can have more flexibility in where you choose to have your session

Birth partners are encouraged to come and they understand that you may choose to bring and feed your baby. The team know that people from ethnically diverse backgrounds are more likely to have a difficult birthing experience and offer interpreting services if required.

They want to hear and learn from your experience. The Birth Reflections team can help improve the maternity service by reporting back your concerns, so that changes can be made. Your name will not be used or given when your experience is used for feedback.

You can get in contact with the Birth Reflections Service by phone or email: birthreflections@uhl-tr.nhs.uk – please leave your full name, date of birth and phone number.

Tel: 07876476003 – please leave your full name and date of birth.

If you are a healthcare professional who is making the referral, please also include the Hospital number or NHS number.