Therapy for Birth/labor trauma
What is birth trauma?
Birth trauma refers to physical and/or psychological injuries that occur during the birthing process, which can result in long-lasting negative effects for the mother, baby, or both. With birth trauma or labor trauma, something didn’t just happen that wasn’t planned for; it went wrong and leaves the mother feeling unsafe.
Birth trauma can be caused by a variety of factors, including an emergency C-section, insufficient pain relief, loss of control, significant medical interventions or poor treatment by the staff at the hospital. You might be traumatized by the way you came into the hospital or what happened during the labor. You may also feel as though you were afraid for your baby’s safety and this was exacerbated by a lack of communication by the staff. Maybe your baby is in the NICU. Maybe you had a stillbirth or your infant died.
Regardless of the specific story, with birth trauma, both parent and baby were or felt like they were in danger or at risk. While the baby may have survived (and it’s important to acknowledge he or she may have not), the experience can have lasting effects.
Many of the women I see report that their pain goes unrecognized and unacknowledged, in part because it challenges a universal narrative that pregnancy and birth should be happy and natural parts of life. This leaves them feeling isolated and alone.
How does birth and labor trauma affect you?
While your traumatic experience may (or may not) be technically over, you can still feel the affects of your trauma. It can affect you both physically and emotionally. You can feel alternately very connected and disconnected with your body because of the out-of-control situation that happened to you and your baby.
SOME COMMON REACTIONS TO Birth TRAUMA:
Nightmares and flashbacks as if you were currently reliving the trauma
Panic Attacks
Disconnected and isolated from others
Easily startled and hypervigilant
Avoidance of people, places, or things that could remind you of the trauma
Irritability and severe mood swings
Negative thoughts about yourself and others
Trouble sleeping or relaxing, fearing that something will happen to you or your baby
Feeling triggered by being touched, having sex
Trouble connecting with your baby.
other ways birth trauma may impact you
Birth trauma can have long-term and wide-reaching impacts on many areas of a mother’s life. A new mom may not even realize how not okay she is–she may not feel like herself, but also not be able to name why.
Birth trauma may negatively impact your experience breastfeeding, disrupt bonding with your baby, or cause problems in your relationship with your partner.
Birth trauma also dramatically increases the risk for postpartum depression and anxiety, with some studies showing the risk for postpartum mood disorders elevated up to 5 times in mothers reporting birth trauma. Research also suggests that 4 to 6 percent of mothers go on to develop PTSD following birth trauma.
Yet, despite the serious consequences associated with birth trauma, many mothers who experience traumatic birth are made to feel shameful or ungrateful if they talk about it . Mothers are often told that as long as they have a healthy baby that the birth doesn’t matter.
HOW Does therapy help?
Healing from birth trauma can be a difficult and isolating experience, causing feelings of grief, loss, guilt, shame and for a sense of feeling unsafe in their bodies. It is important to acknowledge that healing from these experiences may take time and may require professional help.
I work with clients to provide a safe and supportive space to process and work through the emotions related to these experiences, develop coping strategies and to eventually even find meaning in your loss. You can expect to learn concrete skills. This includes grounding techniques to help you cope when feeling overwhelmed or disregulated. I teach mindfulness exercises and resources to help acknowledge your inner strength and resiliency. You will also learn to navigate uncomfortable emotions without being overtaken by them.
Some of my clients find that Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) can be an incredibly powerful modality to help them process and integrate traumatic memories related to their birth trauma, reducing the emotional intensity and associated symptoms.
It is important to remember that healing is a process, and that it may take time. Practicing self-compassion and giving yourself permission to grieve and to feel the emotions that come with your experience is so important.
BEGIN birth trauma therapy IN WESTCHESTER COUNTY, NY
We all can recover and heal when something bad happens to us. But, it is very common for people to get stuck somewhere in their trauma recovery. As a result, it interferes with their ability to function in their daily life. My priority is to create a safe, supportive environment so you will feel comfortable. It’s important to know you’re not alone if you’re struggling to cope and there are plenty of things you can do to help you move forward. My role is to provide the support you need to help you cope with these experiences and help guide you in living a better life. To start therapy from my Westchester County therapy practice where I see clients from Pleasantville, Chappaqua, Bedford, and Mt. Kisco, follow these simple steps:
Learn more about me
Start overcoming the past & move forward
OTHER SERVICES OFFERED BY JOANNA N. ROSENBLATT
Therapy for Birth and Labor Trauma isn’t the only service offered from my Westchester, NY-based therapy practice. I also offer anxiety treatment, therapy for women, EMDR therapy, OCD treatment, and online therapy. I also offer therapy for infertility, sexuality and intimacy issues, and postpartum depression and anxiety treatment. Feel free to learn more about me by visiting my about page!