BACKGROUND:
Pregnancy and birth related psychological trauma are common, yet limited research has explored women’s experiences of attending specialist perinatal mental health services for trauma. Understanding women's experiences of these services offers insights into what is working well and identifies areas for improvement.

OBJECTIVES:
To explore women’s experience of attending a specialist perinatal mental health service following a traumatic pregnancy or birth.

METHODS:
Following ethical approval we conducted a qualitative descriptive study involving in-depth interviews with a purposeful sample of nine women recently discharged from a specialist perinatal mental health service. Data were analysed using Braun and Clarke’s (2019) reflexive thematic analysis process.

RESULTS:
Two overarching themes were identified: facilitators and barriers to initiating and sustaining contact with specialist perinatal mental health services. Barriers included women’s difficulty recognising symptoms of perinatal trauma and the stigma associated with seeking mental health support. Facilitators included interactions with knowledgeable, non-judgemental clinicians who provided advocacy and support and service characteristics such as flexible consultation options and continuity of care.

CONCLUSIONS:
Compassionate care is a key intervention to support women to recover from perinatal trauma. Advocacy within therapeutic relationships helped women navigate healthcare care systems during a current or subsequent pregnancy. Future research should include more diverse populations including birthing partners to ensure specialist perinatal mental health services are meeting the needs of the family.

KEY MESSAGE:
Engagement with a midwife specialist in perinatal mental health, who is knowledgeable in both mental health and maternity care, fosters a sense of support and advocacy. Midwife-led centre 2 (Including three-minute presentation competition)