Black fathers who experienced the birth of their baby as traumatic: a qualitative study

Aims: The aim of the present research was to explore the experiences of Black fathers who have experienced a birth that was traumatic for them and to establish what their nuanced and specific needs are. Background: The research into birth trauma is new but has mainly focussed on the experiences of women. In recent years, the focus has widened to explore the experiences of men who attend childbirth. The research that has explored the experiences of men have largely included participants from White ethnic backgrounds, with the lived experiences of men minority ethnic backgrounds marginalised. Statistics indicate that as recent as 2015, Black women are four to five times more likely to die in childbirth (Knight et al., 2020; Knight et al., 2018) and Black babies at 50% higher risk of perinatal mortality (National Health Service [NHS] England, 2016). The study explored the experiences of Black men partnered with Black women. Methodology: A critical realism approach was used to qualitatively explore the experiences of Black men who experienced a birth that they felt was traumatic for them. Purposive sampling recruited 10 participants who identified as Black men and participated in semi-structured interviews. Results: Thematic analysis was used to interpret three main themes and eleven sub-themes: ‘The experience of the birth’, ‘Race and disparities in quality of care’, and ‘Coping with trauma’. Conclusion: Fathers highlighted that their ethnicity and the perceive differential treatment by staff influenced the appraisal of birth as traumatic. This reflects previous findings of fathers feeling excluded from childbirth and adds a further racial element as identified by participants. Implications for clinical practice and further research are identified.