Birth trauma and reflection
Pregnancy, labour and birth can be unpredictable and sometimes progress differently to how we would have hoped. This can be really difficult to reconcile and lead to a range of feelings, from mild disappointment to trauma. It’s important to recognise that only you can identify whether your experience has been traumatic and how you are feeling about your own reflections. Sometimes a birth might look straightforward on paper but have been traumatic to you. Equally birth might look very complex on paper but have been a positive and empowering experience. And these feelings can happen to both the birthing person and the birth partner, who each have their own experiences and reactions.
If you, your partner, or someone you know are struggling postnatally as a result of pregnancy or birth trauma, it is important to get help. Birth trauma is associated with post natal anxiety, depression and even post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Even if your reflections only feel like a small niggle to begin with, if part of your birth or pregnancy is repeatedly playing on your mind, there is support out there.
In the first instance, we encourage you to speak to a medical professional. This could be your health visitor or GP, or perhaps a midwife that you have met throughout your pregnancy or birth that you have a connection with and that you feel will listen to you. You can also get in touch with the hospital. You can request a debrief or birth reflection session, which is offered by most hospitals and is free. This gives you an opportunity to go through your birth notes and ask any questions you might have and help your understanding of what happened and why. You can also use these sessions to explain any feelings of anger or resentment you have and why. You don’t have to get in touch with the specific team present at your birth. There isn’t a time limit on when you need to request a debrief by and many people don’t address their birth reflections for many years or until they are expecting another child.
From there, your doctor or health visitor can help you with any further support or treatment you may require.
Online/on-demand resources for birth trauma
The Positive Birth Company Postpartum Pack - This online course offers a wide range of bite size workshops to help you navigate the early weeks and months with your newborn. It includes a section on mental health and birth trauma, which explains how these are interlinked and when to get help. You also have access to a 1:1 with a midwife where you can talk specifically about a trauma or mental health concern.
Birth Better - A collective of experts who bring together lived experience and extensive professional knowledge of birth trauma and vicarious trauma. https://www.makebirthbetter.org/birth-trauma-support-for-parents
The Birth Trauma Association - A charity that supports parents who suffer birth trauma – a shorthand term for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after birth. https://www.birthtraumaassociation.org.uk/
Pandas UK - Offer hope, empathy and support for every parent or network affected by perinatal mental illness. https://pandasfoundation.org.uk/
Tommy’s Org - Tommy’s believes that every baby lost is one too many. Tommy’s exists to support, care for and champion people, no matter where they may be on their pregnancy journey. https://www.tommys.org/
Mind Charity - Mind provide advice and support to empower anyone experiencing a mental health problem. https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/types-of-mental-health-problems/postnatal-depression-and-perinatal-mental-health/ptsd-and-birth-trauma/
If you are struggling to access a debriefing service via the NHS, there are a number of practitioners that operate privately. If this is an option for you, you can research these online by searching for a birth debrief or birth reflection practitioner.