Childbirth trauma

It is common for women who call PANDA’s National Perinatal Anxiety & Depression Helpline to tell us they had a complicated or even traumatic birthing experience. This trauma can result from not only what happens during labour and childbirth, but also how the mother is left feeling as a result of her experience.

She might have experienced pain or physical distress while giving birth. Or her labour or childbirth may have required medical intervention (actions taken by the attending medical professionals if the health of mother or baby is considered to be at risk) that she wasn’t prepared for.

A traumatic birth can be described as one that causes a woman to feel any one of these feelings:

• powerless
• confused
• abandoned
• fearful
• unheard
• disregarded.¹

Women who feel these things during the birth have a higher chance of experiencing:

• disappointment
• lack of confidence
• hypervigilance or intense preoccupation with the baby’s health
• feelings of failure
• anger.²

It is also common for women to describe their labour as ‘normal’, even if they are left with confusing, on-going symptoms such as anxiety – including for the health of the baby – or low mood.

Risk factors

There are a number of risk factors related to labour and/or childbirth that can contribute to perinatal anxiety and depression. These include:

• ineffective or limited support from partner, family and/or health professionals during labour
• previous stillbirth (we know that women with a history of stillbirth can be at higher risk of being anxious about the next pregnancy)
• fear for the safety of herself of her baby at some time during the labour or birth.
• previous sexual abuse – some aspects of labour or giving birth might be traumatic for survivors
• previous trauma
• a tendency towards anxiety
• perceptions of not being in control during labour and not knowing what's going on
• inadequate pain relief.

There are also others that are not listed here.

A mother's fear for the well-being of her baby or herself following interventions or a life threatening situation can be very traumatic. These fears and anxieties can interrupt the mother's ability to be available to and bond with her baby. For this reason, offering a mother who has experienced some form of labour and/or childbirth intervention access to postnatal mental health support can be vital for her to come to terms with her childbirth experience, and to begin to bond with her child.

Expectations of the birthing experience

For some mums, their expectations of a calm, natural and fulfilling labour and childbirth can actually be central to their emerging sense of themselves as a good mother. If this type of imagined birth does not occur, a new mum can feel like a failure, on top of the emotional and physical scars that remain from the birth.

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

A difficult and traumatic childbirth experience can sometimes trigger the development of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). If this occurs a woman might experience intrusive dreams and flashbacks about the birth or through stress response to events that symbolise the trauma. Treating PTSD requires specific treatment, so it is important to seek advice from a trusted health professional as soon as possible.

Having someone help you to debrief your birth can be a helpful way to begin to process, and thus recover from, birth trauma. If your own birth experience has caused you any distress or affected your thoughts or feelings, PANDA’s National Helpline provides a safe and confidential space for anyone struggling with the feelings caused by a difficult birth experience. Our highly trained and caring counsellors can help you work through these challenges by talking openly and honestly about your thoughts and feelings about the birth.

_{1 How to Heal a Bad Birth, Melissa Bruijn and Debby Gould
2 How to Heal a Bad Birth, Melissa Bruijn and Debby Gould}