Are You Dealing With Childbirth Trauma?
Traumatic births happen unexpectedly:
Whether there are feelings of excitement (e.g. planning a baby shower) or stress (e.g. how will I care for this baby financially while finishing school?) leading up to the birth of a baby, nobody plans or hopes for a traumatic birth experience. We all want and plan for a smooth delivery.
And yet sometimes traumatic births happen unexpectedly. Some feelings of anxiety leading up to birth are normal, the arrival of a child is life-changing after all. But traumatic births can lead to ongoing feelings of anxiety or depression, so it is vital that a mother’s needs are heard.
‘Childbirth trauma’ is a broad term. Here are some examples of what it can look like:
A mother who experiences a traumatic birth may feel: anxious, fearful, confused and unheard.
Experiencing these feelings may affect how a woman feels later, e.g. drop in confidence in a later pregnancy, anger, or extreme vigilance toward baby.
Anxiety around experiencing, coping with and recovering from a traumatic birth may be made more or less difficult depending on past traumas and quality of support.
Factors that could increase the risk of birth trauma:
What a mother experiences at birth matters. The graphic below highlights four risk factors but there are others. If you have experienced a traumatic birth and it is affecting your mental health, please reach out for help, whether this is to a partner, close friend, healthcare provider or support group.
4 factors that may increase the risk for birth trauma:
1. Limited support from partner/family/healthcare provider.
2. Struggling with prenatal anxiety during pregnancy may lead to higher feelings of stress during birth.
3. Having experienced a pregnancy loss in the past.
4. Feelings of not being in control or listened to during birth/fearing for personal or baby’s safety.
There are many online therapy options available today that can offer support from the convenience of your own home.
Why it is important not to ignore birth trauma:
Some women are more at risk for depression and anxiety than others: Not every woman who experiences a childbirth trauma will struggle with ongoing depression or anxiety. No matter where an individual is on the scale of risk, everyone’s experience is different, and one isn’t more ‘normal’ than another. But if you have been experiencing anxiety or depression symptoms for 2+ weeks, we recommend talking with your healthcare provider.
>> Struggling with anxiety or depression alone can postpone the recover process.
You are not alone:
Anxiety is one of the most debilitating and common complications of pregnancy. It affects 1 in every 4 pregnant women, making it one of the most common and debilitating complications of pregnancy. There is no shame in talking about it and asking for the help you need.
