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Aim: To consider accounts of first time mothers with a self-reported negative birth. Within these self reports, the analysis explored the role the midwife might play in the negative birth experience and discusses the importance of birth narratives for mothers. Background: For first time mothers who report negative births, the reality of the experience is typically incongruent with expectations. Limited research has explored the narratives of such women, especially after a long period of time has elapsed after the birth. Method: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with five participants who had reported a negative birth experience at least 1 year previously. An interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) of the data was performed. Results: Feelings of depersonalisation, a struggle to make sense of what happened and a sense of betrayal remained vivid in the participants' narratives long after the event. Participants indicated that they would have welcomed an opportunity to informally discuss and attempt to understand the events of their birth, either while still in the maternity unit, or with their GP at the post-natal follow up. Conclusions: The findings highlight that participants reported sharing post-birth stories could go some way to negating the legacy of a negative birth experience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ancient remedies in wound care have been used for millennia and are now being rediscovered; in particular, the use of honey. The purpose of this study was to capture and explore the meanings that participants assign to their lived experiences when using medical-grade honey to treat wounds. Six participants were recruited from a Lindsey Leg Club support group. Semi-structured interviews were conducted and the verbatim transcriptions were analysed using interpretative phenomenological analysis. Two themes were identified: experiences of using medical-grade honey and perceptions of honey as a natural folkloric medicine. This study revealed the complexity of using medical-grade honey to treat wounds and highlights patients' experiences and perceptions. The findings are reviewed and discussed in relation to the literature and implications for further research and clinical practice are suggested. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]