Birth and Perinatal Trauma Resolution
I am currently offering appointments in the comfort of your own home throughout County Wexford.
I am also able to offer appointments to many families living in Counties Kilkenny, Carlow, Waterford and Wicklow although there may be an additional mileage charge depending on location. Please enquire prior to booking.
What is Perinatal Trauma?
Perinatal trauma refers to any distressing or traumatic experiences that occur during the period surrounding conception, pregnancy, childbirth and the postpartum period, which has a lasting impact on either parent, baby, friend, family member or health care professional. It can encompass a wide range of physical, psychological, and emotional difficulties that arise from complications, medical interventions, emergency situations, or feelings of powerlessness or fear during the birthing process.
This lasting impact doesn’t occur for everyone. In fact if 100 people went through exactly the same experience 80 of them would go on to neurologically process that event and live normal lives. However, 20 of those people would require psychological support to fully recover from the trauma and the associated symptoms.
Many people believe that because they, their loved one and/or their baby is physically healthy now, they should not be experiencing these symptoms. Or that perhaps their story is not that dramatic and therefore they don’t deserve help and should “just get over it”. Neither of these things are true. In short, the impact of trauma is not necessarily equal to the events at the root of the experience. Our lived experience of any event is valid and even in a circumstance which may appear clinically normal on paper, how we felt in that moment or throughout that experience can have a huge impact on our mental well-being.
Trauma can also accumulate, meaning that as we experience traumatic events through our lives we become more and more likely to develop devastating trauma symptoms such as sub-clinical trauma or PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder) with each new event. A person who has suffered baby loss or who has felt out of control, fearful or unsupported during pregnancy, is more likely to develop symptoms of trauma after an unexpected medical emergency in labour.
Whatever the cause of the trauma symptoms is, the most important thing is getting professional support to resolve the issue and the subsequent symptoms.
Common Causes of Perinatal Trauma
Every person’s experience is different and many events can cause a trauma response. Several common causes include:
Infertility and assisted fertility programs. Trying to conceive and undertaking a journey of assisted fertility can lead to feelings of disempowerment and deep grief and traumatic experiences.
Perinatal loss: The loss of a baby during pregnancy or shortly after birth, such as miscarriage, stillbirth, or infant death, can lead to profound grief and traumatic experiences.
Lack of support or traumatic interactions with healthcare providers: Experiences of feeling dismissed, ignored, or not listened to during pregnancy, childbirth, or postpartum can contribute to perinatal trauma. Inadequate emotional support from healthcare providers or a lack of information and involvement in decision-making can also be factors.
Lack of consent, medical coercement, medical gaslighting, obstetric violence, lack of privacy, feelings of humiliation, feeling trapped, fear of physical harm or even death. Any of these feelings, whether factually grounded or not, can result in a trauma response.
Medical complications: Serious medical complications during pregnancy, labour, or postpartum, such as preeclampsia, placental abruption, uterine rupture, or postpartum haemorrhage, can result in perinatal trauma for both the birthing person and their partner
Complicated or traumatic childbirth: Difficult or traumatic childbirth experiences can include prolonged labour, precipitous (fast) labour, emergency interventions (such as forceps or vacuum delivery, caesarean section), perineal tears, or episiotomies. Unplanned or emergency caesarean sections can also contribute to perinatal trauma.
Birth complications for the baby: If the baby experiences birth complications, such as birth asphyxia, oxygen deprivation, or other medical emergencies, it can cause significant distress and trauma for the parents.
Neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) or Special Care Baby Unit (SCBU) experiences: Premature birth, health complications requiring NICU/SCBU admission, or witnessing their baby's struggle can be traumatic for parents, friends and family members.
Previous trauma history: Individuals with a history of prior trauma, such as childhood abuse or sexual assault, may be more susceptible to perinatal trauma due to the triggering nature of childbirth or the vulnerabilities associated with the perinatal period.
Symptoms of Perinatal Trauma
The symptoms of perinatal trauma can vary from person to person, but here are some common signs and symptoms that individuals who have experienced birth trauma may exhibit:
Intrusive thoughts or memories: Recurrent, distressing thoughts or memories of the traumatic birth experience that can intrude into daily life and cause significant distress.
Flashbacks: Vivid and intrusive re-experiencing of the traumatic event, which can feel as if the person is reliving the trauma.
Nightmares: Disturbing and recurrent dreams related to the traumatic birth experience. These dreams may or may not be about the trauma itself.
Avoidance behaviours: Actively avoiding thoughts, feelings, conversations, people, places, or activities that remind the individual of the traumatic birth experience.
Hypervigilance: Being in a constant state of high alertness, easily startled, and overly aware of potential threats or triggers.
Anxiety and panic attacks: Experiencing excessive worry, restlessness, irritability, difficulty concentrating, and physical symptoms of anxiety, such as a racing heartbeat, shortness of breath, nausea or sweating. Panic attacks may also occur, characterized by sudden and intense surges of fear or discomfort.
Depression: Feelings of sadness, hopelessness, lack of interest or pleasure in activities, changes in appetite or sleep patterns, low energy, and difficulty bonding with the baby.
Emotional numbness or detachment: Feeling emotionally detached or disconnected from oneself, others, or the baby.
Hyperarousal: A heightened state of physiological and emotional arousal, including increased heart rate, difficulty sleeping, irritability, and exaggerated startle response.
Feeling guilt or self-blame: Blaming oneself for the traumatic birth experience or believing that they did something wrong or could have prevented the trauma.
Difficulty bonding with the baby: Struggling to form an emotional attachment or feeling detached from the baby due to the traumatic birth experience.
Difficulty with other relationships. Struggling to maintain or engage with family, friends or the wider community.
It's important to note that these symptoms may not manifest immediately after the event but can develop in the days, weeks, or even months following the traumatic experience.
How Can I Help?
Having attended Jenny Mullan’s year long course on Birth Trauma Resolution, I have learned various techniques to help you resolve your trauma and rebuild your life in a positive way. Every client’s care pathway will vary depending on your symptoms, the root cause of your trauma response, and your response to the therapy. However some aspects are applicable to every client.
Listening. Having someone listen to your experience without judgement or bias brings a validation that can be incredibly healing.
Explanation of how trauma happens and an exploration of how your symptoms are presenting.
Exploring your needs both in releasing your trauma and rebuilding your life.
Learning coping techniques to use in the moment. This helps you to regain control when your symptoms threaten to overwhelm you and can be used as every day coping strategies as you move forward in your life.
Deep relaxation. Using an individualised guided visualisation we work together to enable you to reach a point of deep relaxation, at which point it becomes easier for your mind to process traumatic events that would normally cause emotional distress.
Releasing the trauma template. This can be achieved in a variety of ways that are individually tailored to your needs at the time of your therapy.
Rebuilding your life within a positive framework. Guided visualisations to help your healing as you move forward with your life after trauma.
Birth Trauma References and Resources
American Pregnancy Association. (n.d.). Birth trauma: Symptoms, causes, and how to cope.
Ayers, S., Bond, R., Bertullies, S., & Wijma, K. (2016). The aetiology of post-traumatic stress following childbirth: A meta-analysis and theoretical framework. Psychological Medicine, 46(6), 1121-1134.
Beck, C. T. (2004). Birth Trauma: In the eye of the beholder. Nursing Research, 53(1), 28-35.
Birth Trauma Resolution: Jenny Mullans Psychotherapist and Founder https://www.birthtraumaresolution.com/
Griffin, J. and Tyrell, I. (2013) Human Givens: The new approach to emotional health and clear thinking. Human Givens Publishing Ltd
Kitzinger, S. (2006). Birth Crisis. Routledge, London
National Childbirth Trust: Birth trauma and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after childbirth