No one expects childbirth to be easy. Emergency procedures, unwanted medical interventions, frightening or life-threatening complications, and even nasty medical professionals may be encountered in a delivery room. For many, giving birth can be a truly traumatic experience.

In these contexts, a traumatic birthing experience can leave new moms with not only physical discomfort but also psychological pain. If you are expecting a child and you want to prevent birth trauma, you can read more here about ways that you can be proactive.

What You Should Know About Birth Trauma

It is essential to note that women may experience serious emotional distress after birth trauma, even if they don’t have any physical birth injuries. In this article, the term birth trauma refers to fractures, cuts or injuries as well as associated psychological or physical issues sustained during childbirth, delivery or labor.

Aside from physical damage, birth trauma can also be due to a sense of not having a voice in the face of authority, feelings of helplessness, or sudden, unexplained interventions. The psychological trauma of giving birth can be caused by an extreme disconnect between the shock of what occurs and the mother’s expectations of what should happen.

More often, birth trauma happens to mothers who deliver babies that are bigger than average, even more so in cases where the size of the baby is too big in relation to the mother’s pelvic area.

Deliveries of heavier and larger babies frequently require doctors to use forceps, hands or vacuums to ease the passage through the birth canal. In such situations, neonatal injuries may happen if the doctor uses more than the required physical force while handling the infant or isn’t careful enough with the use of birthing instruments.

Do not lose hope. If you are experiencing birth trauma, there is available support that you can consider. This article presents some ways to deal with birth trauma.

Be Open With Your Partner About How You Feel

Dealing with birth trauma can be particularly when you keep it to yourself. This is why it can help to share your feelings. Talk with your partner about how you really feel after your childbirth experience. If your relationship is already affected, consider counseling.

Take note that you are not the only one struggling with birth trauma; your partner might also feel stressed out by what you’re experiencing. Discussing everything with your partner will not only enlighten you about your current situation, such open communication can also help your partner better understand what you’re going through.

Develop Trust-Based Relationships With Your Midwife or Doctor

One proactive way to deal with birth trauma is prevention. For instance, you can establish a trust-based relationship with your midwife or doctor. During your prenatal visits, you can discuss what you would want to happen when you are giving birth to your child, medications used in labor, your concerns about pain during labor, postpartum scenarios, and more.

Building trust between you and your medical practitioner can help you communicate during labor. A major key to satisfaction in birthing and to the prevention of birth trauma is feeling that you’re in control of your situation, even while you are in labor.

Your relationship with your practitioner means that, with rare exceptions, everything will be presented fairly to you and you’ll be given the chance to make decisions about what you and your baby deserve.

Consider Using A Debriefing Service

The majority of hospitals provide a birth debriefing service, also known as birth afterthoughts or birth reflections service. You can contact your health practitioner about the options available in your local area. Usually, the service is available from about 6 weeks after giving birth. By then, you will have had more time to process what happened. One good thing about this service is that you have the freedom to choose the best time for you to avail it, particularly if you do not feel that you’re ready to talk about your birth experience.

Other experts may recommend a different kind of therapy for bereaved parents who are left devastated and traumatized by the recent events. This healing process includes the use of realistic baby dolls, which grieving parents will use to channel their emotions. Learn more @ Kissreborn.com

Be Kind To Yourself

There is a tendency that you might absorb all of the emotions that could come with a traumatic birth that may include feelings of self-loathing and shame. Rather than feeling this way, choose to be kinder to yourself for what you have been through. But first, let your self absorb all your feelings such as frustration, anger, and disappointment. Then, remind yourself that kindness is important even as you live with such negative feelings.

Conclusion

Fortunately, many women are able to recover and successfully deal with birth trauma. Social support and reduced stressors help them to have space and time to recover. However, others may find that the trauma lingers, sometimes leading to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
If you’re still experiencing some PTSD symptoms a few weeks after giving birth, it’s best to seek professional medical help to determine the right treatment for your situation. In addition to that, you can keep in mind the suggestions in this article to help you successfully deal with birth trauma.

Published: 2020-04-22 18:41:05