'Would I risk it again?' The long-term impacts of a traumatic birth, as experienced by fathers.

Traumatic birth can result in fathers experiencing difficulties beyond the perinatal period, whilst thinking that they should not feel or discuss their distress. As a result of a traumatic birth fathers can experience ongoing guilt and poor mental health, which may lead them to delay subsequent pregnancies. Most participants had not accessed support regarding the traumatic birth, instead coping by trying to avoid their memories and emotional reaction. These findings highlight the need for increased acknowledgement of the impact of birth trauma and intervention for fathers, during and after the perinatal period.