Healing Birth Trauma
Birth Trauma
Sometimes the birth of our baby does not go as we had hoped or planned. Sometimes there are complications surrounding or during birth that genuinely require intervention and these can be life saving for us and/or our babies. Other times, interventions are insisted upon by medical staff or even family members and support people, that go against our inherent wisdom as mothers. These experiences have the potential to result in what we might refer to as birth trauma.
Mothers
I have heard and seen a whole spectrum of challenges surrounding birth that result in trauma for mothers. Sadly, one in three women experience the birth of their babies as traumatic so if you are one of these women, you are not alone. Birth trauma can leave you feeling powerless, angry, sad, confused, abandoned and alone. It can affect you on every level of your being: physically, psychologically, emotionally, socially, cognitively and spiritually. It is also extremely difficult navigating the transition and adjustment to motherhood when trauma is present in our bodies. Trauma can bring up a range of emotions, thoughts, doubts and questions regarding our ability as mothers. It can be a scary place to find yourself.
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But there is hope. There is the potential for healing and integration of traumatic experiences surrounding birth. I warmly encourage you to reach out here or to another mental health professional if you believe you may have experienced trauma in your birth experience.
Mother and Baby
Most mothers will appreciate the profound connectedness that they have with their babies. Mamatoto is a beautiful Swahili word that means “motherbaby”. It encapsulates mother and baby as one interrelated being, not separate from each other. What a mother feels the baby feels, what the baby feels, the mother feels. In this beautiful interconnectedness there is an intuitive dance between the two that has the potential to guide and grow the mother and baby’s journey together.
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When trauma occurs during birth, Mamatoto is naturally impacted. When it comes to birth trauma, it is important to consider both mother and baby, to see what each of them have experienced and how each are coping. It is important to consider what they both need individually and within the mother-baby relationship in order to heal from and integrate their related but sometimes differing birth experiences. This is one of the main focuses at The Motherline.
Healing Birth Trauma
Birth trauma work can sometimes sound or feel big and scary. It can be especially scary to consider our babies as traumatised little beings. We all want the best for our little ones and we are all doing the very best we can under often very challenging circumstances. Yet, if we acknowledge our own trauma surrounding the birth, it is important to consider that our baby has potentially experienced this too.
Babies have natural healing mechanisms that include emotional expression and release, body movement and, in older babies and children, play. When working with babies and young children, we bring awareness, attention, support and empathy to these innate healing mechanisms. In my experience, when a mother is supported to acknowledge and lovingly support their baby’s big feelings and experiences, not only does the baby experience healing but a stronger, more connected relationship between the two is formed. Being witness to these connective moments is one of the greatest joys of my work.
Birth trauma work with adults involves providing a safe therapeutic space whereby your birth story and experiences are deeply held and respected, believed and heard. I provide interpersonal and interventive psychotherapy as well as specific trauma treatments such as eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing (EMDR).
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