Understanding Mothers' Trust in Nurses Amidst Traumatic Childbirth Experiences

Perinatal nurses support mothers in the majority of births in Canada, holding an important role in improving respectful maternity care and reducing adverse outcomes. Trust is a recurring theme in the literature of nurse-mother relationships and a crucial component of relationship-centred and trauma-informed care. However, little is known about how trust develops when mothers have traumatic childbirths. The purpose of this qualitative interpretive descriptive study was to understand mothers’ experiences of trust with perinatal nurses amidst traumatic childbirths. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with eight mothers. Data analysis revealed one overarching theme; Trust in the Nurse-mother Relationship: A Shelter in the Storm, and three main themes: The Foundations and Fluid Trajectories of Trust, Developing and Maintaining Trust Through Relationship-Centred and Trauma-Responsive Care, and Barriers to Developing and Maintaining Trust. These findings can guide perinatal nurses in partnering with mothers to build a trusted shelter in the storm of traumatic childbirth.