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CBT for Birth trauma and Birth PTSDD

When your birth experience is still affecting you.

Giving birth can be an incredibly powerful experience. Sometimes, however, a birth doesn't go as expected and elaves you feeling frightened, powerless, distressed or traumatised. 

You may have had a difficult labour, an emergency caesarean, an assisted birth, complications, concerns about your baby's health, or an experience where you felt that what was happening was outside your control.

You may have thought that once your baby was safely here, you would feel better.

But instead, you find yourself thinking about what happened.

If you're struggling after a traumatic birth, you are not overreacting and you don't have to simply 'get over it'. 

What is birth trauma?

Birth trauma can decribe the psychological impact of a distressing or frightening labour, birth or immeidate postnatal experience.

A birth doesn't have to appear traumatic to everyone else for it to have had a traumatic impact on you.

You might have felt:

- Frightened for your own life or your baby's life
- Powerless or out of control
- Ignored or not listened to
- Rushed or unable to understand what was happening
- Overwhelmed by medical procedures
- Distressed by an emergency intervention
- Frightened by complications
- Separated from your baby
- Shocked by what happened to your body
- Unable to process the experience afterwards

Sometimes the trauma comes from how the experience felt, rather than simply what happened medically. 

What is birth PTSD?

Some people develop symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) following a traumatic birth.

You may experience:

- Unwanted memories or images of the birth
- Nightmares
- Feeling as though you're reliving what happened
-Becoming distressed when something reminds you of the birth
- Avoiding conversations about the birth
- Avoiding hospitals or medical appointments
- Feeling constantly alert or on edge
- Becoming very distressed when thinking about  another pregnancy or birth
- Physical sensations or panic when reminded of what happened
- Feeling emotionally numb or detached
- Persistant guilt or self-blame

You may also find yourself repeatedly , trying to work out what happened or whether you could have done something differently. 

These experiences can be exhausting. 

But my baby was okay....

Sometimes parents feel they shouldn't be struggling because the outcome was ultimately positive. You may think;

'My baby was healthy, so why am I still upset?'
'Other people have had much worse births'
'It's been months, I should be over it by now'

A positive outcome doesn't erase the emotional impact of a frightening experience.
You can feel grateful that your baby is okay and still feel traumatised by what happened. 
Both can be true.

Birth trauma and a fear of giving birth again.

A previous traumatic birth can also affect how you feel about a future pregnancy.

You may find yourself:

- Avoiding thinking about another baby
- Feeling panicked about becoming pregnant again
- Worrying constantly about another traumatic birth
- Feeling unable to trust maternity professionals
- Needing repeated reassurance
- Feeling frightened about medical procedures
- Struggling with decisions about future pregnancies

CBT can help you understand the thoughts, behaviours and patterns maintaining this fear and work towards feeling more able to cope with uncertainty around future pregnancies and births.
 

Birth trauma in partners

Birth trauma isn't only experienced by the person who gave birth. 

Partners can also be deeply affected by what they witnessed or experienced.

You may have watched your partner become frightened, distressed or medically unwell and felt completely powerless to help.

Perhaps you were:

- Frightened that you partner or baby would die
- Distressed by an emergency procedure
- Unable to understand what was happening
- Separated from your partner or baby
- Left feeling responsible for keeping everyone safe
- Unable to process what you witnessed
- Expected to focus on supporting everyone else rather than your own experience

You may find yourself thinking:
'I can't complain, I wasn't the one giving birth'

But witnessing a traumatic event involving someone you lvoe can itself be deeply distressing. Partners can experience intrusive memories, nightmares, anxiety, avoidance, guilt, anger, hypervigilance, and difficulties talking about what happened. 

Your experience matters too.

How CBT can help after a traumatic birth

CBT can help you understand the ways trauma is continuing to affect you. 

For example, you may find yourself:

Remembering the birth -> feeling frightened -> avoiding reminders -> temporary relief -> trauma remains frightening -> continued avoidance

Or

'I should have done something' -> guilt -> repeatedly reviewing what happened -> temporary sense of control -> more self-blame.

Therapy can help you make sense of these patterns and gradually change the ways you respond to memories, reminders, thoughts and fears.

You don't have to talk about everything immediately.

You may worry that starting therapy means having to describe every detail of the birth straight away. 
It doesn't.

We'll work collaboratively and at a pace that feels manageable, while keeping the focus on what is maintaining your difficulties now. 
Book a free 15 minute consultation now
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