I’m a midwife – I know partners need support through birth too

We must do far more to support the mental and emotional wellbeing of partners during childbirth, writes midwife Lizzie Romain

I’m sure there are many partners who suffer post-traumatic stress disorder (Getty Images)

Birth can be a traumatic process. As a practising midwife, I do all I can for those under my care, to keep both them and their newborns as safe and as comfortable as possible. I do sometimes worry, though, that I could be doing more. After all, while those giving birth are cared for by their midwife, whose job is it to look after the partners?

I’ve been a midwife for the past 12 years, and it’s no secret the profession is suffering from a lack of staff.

People attend up to 10 appointments during pregnancy. The last time I helped run an antenatal clinic was in Wales nine years ago, and each patient had 10 minutes maximum per appointment. That’s just about enough time to complete the essential health check: blood pressure, urine dipstick, listen-in to the fetal heart rate... and perhaps give a rushed answer to a question. “Don’t forget to read your information leaflet!” It was always easier if they came by themselves. There wasn’t time to cater for their partner’s emotional needs too, especially as we already felt like we were rushing our pregnant patients out the door!