How this fits in

Previous literature accurately describes characteristics of individuals experiencing homelessness but fails to capture the impact of childhood trauma as a primary cause of future vulnerability. This study is the first to explore attitudes and experiences of homeless women surrounding perinatal care. This study discovered that, though antenatal service provision was recognised by homeless women to be biomedically thorough, postnatal care was absent, and a lack of trust due to poor communication with healthcare practitioners limited women’s ability to use available services effectively. There is a great need for improved communication and understanding from healthcare practitioners, and for greater postnatal support. This research suggests that postnatal support is as important as antenatal care for vulnerable women, to mitigate further trauma across the lifespan of both mother and child.