What is Birth Trauma?

First of all, not everyone who experiences a traumatic birth/ a difficult birth/ a birth that didn’t go to plan identifies with or resonates with the term “BIRTH TRAUMA”.

That’s ok!

We’re often told by parents that term “traumatic” seems a bit ‘extreme’. This could be because that parent is trying to downplay their experience as a form of self preservation, or due to concerns of being branded “dramatic”.

Birth Trauma (or whichever term you prefer)

Birth Trauma describes a birth experience, or an experience during pregnancy, birth, immediate postpartum, which leaves you with negative emotions such as the ones listed below when the event recalled:

• anxiety

• distress

• anger

• shame

• guilt, etc.

The memory of the experience triggers an emotional response which is difficult to resolve/comfort from.

What’s going on in your brain?

When you experience trauma (either directly or indirectly), you’re catapulted into your stress response (fight/flight/freeze).

This emotional response can become inextricably linked with the memory of the event.

This prevents the memory from being properly processed into the long term memory store.

Whilst the neocortex (rational brain) can recognise that the danger is no longer physically present, the amygdala (primal brain) continues to catapult you into your stress response.

Each time you recall the event, you may continue to experience the same emotions you experienced at the time of the event.

The impact of birth trauma is monumental!

For those experiencing it, it can lead to knock on mental health issues such as depression, anxiety and PTSD.

For a new parent, this can have a devastating impact on their transition to parenthood, lead to loss of confidence, cause difficulties for that parent to bond with their baby and more.

For those around the person experiencing it, it can lead to feelings of helplessness, seeing a loved one in pain.

HELP IS AVAILABLE!

Your feelings matter! YOU matter!

It is not just about a healthy baby.

You deserve to find resolve from the emotions you’re experiencing.

Whilst we cannot take away from the memory of the event, we can help you:

• understand what happened

• process your experience

• validate your feelings

• help break the neurological pathway from the memory of the event with the moetional response it elicits.

  Thereby, finding redress from what you’ve been experiencing and improving your emotional well being.

Wanna chat? We wanna help!

Ellie and Luiza are both trained in 3 step rewind therapy & offer independent birth reflection sessions to help those experiencing birth trauma.

Find out more HERE!