UK recommendations (National Institute
for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), 2014), and
local protocols seem to be incomplete in this area.
Given the evidence gaps, the objectives of this
study were: a) to investigate midwives’ approaches
to EPU; and b) to explore midwives’ perspectives and
experiences of helping women cope with EPU. The
findings discussed in this paper are part of a larger
research project, which investigated the prevalence,
characteristics and management of EPU through
a prospective observational methodology and
explored women’s and midwives’ experiences of EPU
using a phenomenological design. This study aims
to inform local midwifery practice and contribute to
international debates around the topic.