Birth Trauma
If you’ve experienced birth trauma (physical or mental) during a previous birth, that’s a topic we should discuss.
Are you a parent seeking support to understand your birth experience?
Did you know, as many as 1 in 3 women in Australia describe their birth experience as traumatic (Gidget Foundation, 2021)?
Birth trauma can be physical, psychological or both.
It can impact the birthing woman, her partner, family or support people (Australiasian Birth Trauma Association, 2022). There are many causes of birth trauma, from unmet expectations, to serious risks to a mother or babie’s health and wellbeing.
What can birth trauma look like?
Being separated from your baby after birth
A new mother being admitted to the intensive care unit
A newborn being admitted to the nursery
A perineal tear
An unexpected caesarean section
A difficult vaginal birth
Heavy bleeding after birth
Pelvic floor injuries and prolapse
Birth trauma is a complex situation and never only just about the event, but how this event fits into the personal health story. Birth trauma is very individual and each woman and family’s experience is deeply personal and unique.
Unfortunately, the unseen aspects of trauma can lead to depression, anxiety, poor bonding with your newborn and difficult relationships with those you love. It is important to discuss the birth trauma and the emotions associated with your experience, this will help limit the harm caused.
A post-birth and pregnancy debrief - especially with regard to complications - is an essential part of recovering from birth trauma.
As an obstetrician and gynaecologist with a passion for supporting women and families to recover from birth trauma, I offer as a part of my services a debrief of birth and birth complications as well as support for families considering embarking on further pregnancies and births post the experience of birth trauma.
Please feel welcome to make an appointment to sensitively discuss your birth trauma.