When Child Birth Gets Complicated
How Child Birth Can Take a Turn From a Happy Event to a Traumatic One and How to Find Help
(Trigger Warning) The news is exciting and welcome, you are pregnant! Your partner, family and friends are celebrating and all are filled with anticipation for the arrival of the baby! Pregnancy has it’s challenges but with each passing day you are closer to meeting your baby. Plans are developed, dreams and expectation for the perfect birth are made, nurseries are decorated and prepared, the crib is assembled and before you know it the day is here.
Then Something Goes Wrong or Maybe Just Unexpected ……
According to Cheryl Tatano Beck in her book Traumatic Childbirth, birth trauma is defined as:
“an event occurring during the labor and delivery process that involves actual or threatened serious injury or death to the mother or her infant. The birthing woman experiences intense fear, helplessness, loss of control and horror” Beck more recently included “an event occurring during labor and delivery where the woman perceives she is stripped of her dignity.
According to PATTCh , research is minimal but there is a consensus of between 25% - 34% or 1 in 7 women report they had a traumatic births experience. It is important to note that not all go on to develop Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, thankfully.
Themes Found to Contribute to Birth Trauma
Beck reports that there are four themes that increase the likelihood that a birth will be felt as traumatic.
Theme 1: “To care for me: Was that too much to ask?”
Women in labor report that they felt abandoned and alone. There is a feeling of loss of dignity. Even embarrassment when disparaged by busy or burnt out staff.
Theme 2: “To communicate with me: Why was this neglected?”
Lack of communication from medical staff when looking for information about what is happening or a lack of being heard or ignored by medical staff when mom sets a limit or asks for something.
Theme 3: “To provide safe care: You betrayed my trust and I felt powerless.”
Mom or birth partner perceive unsafe care or feared for theirs and/or their baby’s safety.
Theme 4: “The ends justifies the means” At whose expense? At what price?”
Felt that their traumatic experience was dismissed due to the successful birth of a healthy baby.
Risk Factors that contribute to feeling a birth experience is traumatic:
Pregnancy and birth complications; unexpected or otherwise
Feeling unheard or humiliated
Injury to mom and/or baby; immediate or long-term
Lack of sleep
Prior depression, anxiety or PTSD history
Lack of support before, during and after birth from birth staff, family and friends
Isolation
NICU stay for baby/premature birth
Miscarriage, stillbirth or infant loss
Could I develop PTSD
Not everyone that experiences a traumatic birth will go on to develop PTSD but here are some red flags:
Re-experiencing the traumatic event through flashbacks, nightmares or intrusive memories. These symptoms can be distressing and can leave you feeling panicky.
Avoiding anything that reminds you of the trauma. This could mean avoiding the hospital or doctors involved in your birth or other pregnant women or even your baby.
Feeling hypervigilant: this means that you are constantly alert, irritable and jumpy. This might manifest in constant worries about your baby or yourself or anger outbursts.
Feeling low and unhappy and/or anxious with a constant stream of negative thoughts. You might have guilt around the delivery or you might not even be able to recall it. You might even wish the birth didn’t happen or feel stuck in thoughts about how it could have happened differently.
There is Help
Things you can do on your own:
Enlist help from family and friends with baby care as well as meals, housework and a non-judgmental ear
Join a peer support group
If possible find time for self care
Ground yourself through meditation, yoga/breathe work or grounding exercises like the alphabet game (A is for apple, B is for banana etc, holding an ice cube or naming things you see in the room…….
Practice Mindfulness
When would I need extra help?
If you are not getting better or your symptoms are getting worse ie you can’t get out of bed, care for yourself or the baby, having fits of rage, having panic attacks or daily crying spells.
If you want to hurt yourself or your baby
If you are having flashbacks, nightmares or intrusive thoughts regularly and you don’t have a way to manage them
Where do I go to get help?
You can talk to your OB, NP or GP and they maybe able to direct you towards a prescriber, psychotherapist and/or clinician led support group.
There are medications that are safe and you and your prescriber can decide if medication is right for you and your symptoms.
There are psychotherapist that have experience with pre/postpartum issues and have a concentration in birth trauma. They utilize therapies like Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), Interpersonal Therapy and Eye Movement Desensitization & Reprocessing (EMDR) to alleviate symptoms. In addition, trauma focused skills will be taught along with mindfulness. There are also psychotherapists, hospitals or agencies that run clinician run support groups that provide psychoeducation, skills as well as group support with other parents who have experienced birth trauma.
You can find providers in your area through sites like Post Partum Support International or a Google search for therapists who specialize in birth trauma or pregnancy, post partum issues.
In addition to PostPartum Support International here is some helpful resources:
TABS: TRAUMA AND BIRTH STRESS – tabs.org.nz
Solace for Mothers – solaceformothers.org
What is Birth Trauma?, The Birth Trauma Association
In the Eye of the Expert: An Interview with Cheryl Beck, Science & Sensibility
Healing the Trauma: Entering Motherhood with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Midwifery Today
Help For a Traumatic Delivery and Postpartum Depression, Huffington Post
The Mothers Who Can’t Escape the Trauma of Childbirth, The Atlantic
Birth trauma: in the eye of the beholder, Research Abstract
A mixed methods study of secondary traumatic stress in labor and delivery nurses, Research Abstracy
Geraldine “Gerry”
Viggiani, LCSW, LCADC, PMH-C
Geraldine founded Lotus Blossom Psychotherapy as a place for women to feel supported on their journey toward wellness and personal healing. Along with her staff - specialties ranging from trauma to eating disorders to Perinatal Mood Disorders (PMAD)—particularly traumatic birth experiences—Geraldine’s approach to treatment modalities is eclectic, and includes EMDR, DBT, Brainspotting, and trauma and compassion focused therapies. She is also certified in perinatal mood disorders. Geraldine is on the board of directors for PostPartum Support International (NJ Chapter) and chairs their Education and Training committee. She is also on the board for the Entrepreneurial Think Tank for Women Foundation. A regular contributor to BELLA Magazine's Mind and Body section, she also sits on their Medical Advisory Board. Geraldine provides supervision and also lectures and provides workshops on a variety of topics including birth trauma.
Lotus Blossom Psychotherapy, Mental Health + Wellness for Women
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Your past does not define you, but it can be the springboard to new and surprising growth, expanding your awareness and propelling you toward becoming a stronger, healthier person.
At Lotus Blossom Psychotherapy, we employ a holistic approach to help women heal from their past traumas, present struggles, and future worries—one that fully incorporates the mind, body, and spirit. Our unique approach to women’s wellness is both comprehensive and effective, geared toward instilling lasting change. Whether you’re struggling with PTSD, Postpartum Depression/Anxiety, Self Esteem Issues, Depression, Anxiety, or Eating Disorders, we’re committed to giving you the roots to grow, the tools to thrive, and the confidence to bloom into your intended self.