Birth Trauma

If you didn’t have the birth you were hoping for, you are not alone. Many women (and their partners) experience the birth of their baby as being traumatic.

This could be because you felt like you weren’t in control of events, or you didn’t receive the standard of care you were expecting. Perhaps you felt that your lives were in danger.

No one else can tell you if you have experienced trauma. If it felt traumatic to you, then it is classed as a traumatic birth.

Reasons to seek therapy after a traumatic birth

If you or your partner have experienced the birth of your child as traumatic, you may find yourself

  • Avoiding people, places and memories that remind you of the birth

  • Reliving the birth over and over in your mind

  • Struggling to bond with your baby

  • Feeling tense, anxious and on high alert

  • Having trouble sleeping or experiencing nightmares

  • Distancing yourself from your partner

  • Overly worrying about something bad happening to your baby

Partners might need to talk about birth trauma too

It is important to note that partners can also be impacted psychologically by a traumatic birth. Partners can feel helpless, distressed and scared as they watch events unfold.

 I can support you and/ or your partner to:

  • talk through your birth story in a safe environment

  • process the emotions associated with this difficult experience

  • grieve the loss of the birth experience you didn’t have

  • manage the physical and psychological impact of trauma