Birth de-brief

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I have a de-brief arranges for a few weeks time for when I will be two and a half months post delivery.

Those of you that have had one.. what happens? Should I prepare?

I’m fairly confident I have my memory of what happened in the right order but maybe I should write it down so I can go through any questions in a logical way?

Does the midwife mainly lead the session?

And what kind of questions can you ask? Really the only reason I want the de-brief is to see if there’s anything that could be done better if I want to have a 3rd (obviously a 3rd isn’t something I’m contemplating for a while yet but if I’m going to rule it out I’d like to reach that conclusion sooner rather than later).

Finally ... did the de-brief help??

Bumping for you OP.
I'm also hoping to arrange a de-brief shortly after quite a traumatic delivery, and would like to know a little bit about what to expect.

I had a debrief. In my case, the midwife had my notes and talked through everything that happened from the start, answering my questions along the way. I think if I'd wanted to lead more then that would have been ok too. She was lovely and we had at least an hour for the session so not rushed at all. In my case I had a large haemorrhage and I wanted to understand why and the implication for a further delivery.

I think that it's a good idea to write down questions if you have a few, as that way you don't forget, but I don't think you really need to prepare for it. My questions were answered so yes, it did help. My husband was there too and he also had the opportunity to ask questions and I think it helped him too. I suspect I'll still have some anxiety around labour if I do get pregnant again but I think that is largely unavoidable.

Thanks, that's really helpful.
Did you find it upsetting at all? I am pregnant again now, which is why it's on my mind. Can't decide if it will be beneficial or detrimental to revisit it.

I had a birth debrief with my consultant as my induction went well initially however led to baby getting stuck in my pelvis, emcs and massive blood loss. Despite all this I was at peace with the birth and was concerned the bebrief could change that. At the same time I was keen to fill in some blanks and find out what my options would be if we had another baby.

I'm the end I was glad we went. Dr basically talked through the notes, explained timings and what was happening throughout. I didn't realise at time it was a back to back labour so left quite amazed at how I'd coped with it all. Also left knowing elcs would be best option if have dc2 so I feel relieved knowing that the experience won't be repeated!

Hmm, that's an interesting question. I suppose I did find it a bit upsetting, as it reinforced how serious my situation was and made me process exactly what had happened. I think that for me knowing the details and understanding what my risk will be in further labours, and how that can be mitigated against will ultimately be helpful - although I appreciate that may not be the case for other people!

Good luck going forwards, if you do go for it I hope that its helpful and all the best in your current pregnancy