OCEAN x MDO: Community Connections for Birth Trauma and Loss Support

Project description:  ​

MDO Gives Back CIC partnered with ELFT’s OCEAN service to create safe, compassionate and culturally responsive community spaces for mothers and birthing people who have experienced birth trauma, birth loss or difficult maternity journeys.

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OCEAN is a unique integrated maternity and mental health service providing specialist emotional support, including access to qualified psychologists, for those affected by birth trauma and loss. Through our partnership, MDO helped extend this support into trusted community settings, creating opportunities for women to connect, share experiences and rebuild confidence within a supportive peer network.

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The project delivered regular community meet-ups hosted in local children’s centres, where themes were co-produced with attendees based on their experiences and needs. Sessions provided a safe space for honest conversations around pregnancy, birth experiences, grief, identity, parenting after trauma and emotional wellbeing.

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By combining NHS expertise with MDO’s community-led approach and trusted relationships with mothers, the partnership reduced barriers to accessing support. Women were able to engage in a non-clinical environment where they felt understood, represented and empowered.

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The project recognised that recovery after birth trauma and loss is not only about clinical intervention but also about connection, belonging and being surrounded by people who understand. Through peer connection, professional guidance and culturally sensitive spaces, OCEAN x MDO supported mothers to feel less isolated and more confident in their emotional recovery.

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Outcomes achieved:

• Women reported feeling less isolated and more connected to others with shared experiences.

• Increased awareness of available mental health and maternity support pathways.

• Created a trusted referral route between NHS services and community support.

• Supported women who may not have accessed traditional clinical services alone.

• Developed co-produced sessions shaped by lived experience.

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Why this partnership worked:

• ELFT provided specialist maternity mental health expertise.

• MDO provided trusted community engagement, culturally sensitive delivery and lived experience insight.

• Together we created a wraparound model of support.