Yes. Research into birth trauma in fathers and partners shows that witnessing a traumatic birth can lead to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

This is particularly true when a father feared for the life of his partner or baby, felt a complete loss of control, or was given little explanation of what was happening around him.

PTSD after witnessing childbirth is often overlooked because attention is generally focused on the mother and baby — but the symptoms are real and recognised: flashbacks, hypervigilance, low mood, and avoiding anything that reminds you of the birth.

If you've wondered whether what you're feeling counts as "real" trauma because you weren't the one giving birth, the answer is yes, it can.

Often women will be offered a de-brief that you may have been invited to. This may have triggered you further, provided more questions than answers or even left you feeling further isolated as there are services for women but these are never an extended offer to partners.

Yes, completely.

Flashbacks (images of what you remember) after watching your wife or partner give birth are one of the most commonly reported symptoms of birth trauma in fathers. They can show up as a vivid, intrusive memory of a specific sound (such as an alarm, a heart rate monitor), a visual (like a face, or a moment that keeps replaying without warning, sometimes months or years later) or even a smell or touch can activate it.

It often turns up when you least expect it — sitting in a meeting, on a call, in the middle of an ordinary task at work — pulling you straight back into that room with no warning at all. These are recognised symptoms of post-traumatic stress, not signs that you're overreacting or dwelling on the past.

This is an extremely common response after a traumatic birth, and it doesn't mean something is wrong with you or your relationship.

Fear of another pregnancy after a traumatic birth is one of the most frequently reported long-term effects for both women and their partners. If you believed, even briefly, that you might lose your partner or your baby, it makes sense that the idea of going through labour again would feel frightening rather than exciting.

This fear can surface as reluctance to try for another baby, anxiety around intimacy, or simply an unspoken dread neither of you has said out loud.

It tends to ease with the right support, rather than by waiting for it to pass on its own.

Currently, very little formal support for fathers exists within NHS maternity or postnatal services, which tend to be focused on the mother and baby.

Most fathers and birth partners are never offered a debrief (unless this is offered to a woman who has experienced birth trauma and they attend alongside her), a mental health check, or any explanation of what happened during a traumatic delivery.

That means many men are left to process what has happened or any frightening complication entirely on their own — often while also supporting their partner's recovery and returning to work as though nothing happened.

Specialist, trauma-informed birth trauma support for men gives you the space that hasn't been offered anywhere else: time to understand what happened clinically, process the emotional impact, and reduce the hold the birth still has on you. In addition, when the specialist is a midwife, this will provide space to ask the questions you haven't had the opportunity to ask and get answers that support your recovery.

The free 30-minute call is exactly that: a conversation, not a session, and there's nothing to prepare beforehand.

It's a chance to talk about how your experience has been affecting you since the birth, what you are feeling, and to ask any questions about how birth trauma support for men actually works.

Some men use the call to finally say out loud what they've never told anyone; others simply want to know whether this is the right kind of support for them. Either way, there's no pressure just an honest look into where you are, whether it is something you want to change and if so, an opportunity to book your Birth Trauma Recovery.