Online Therapy for Colorado & Illinois

Therapy for Birth Trauma

Many people experience birth trauma

Birth does not always go to plan or as we imagined it might. It’s an experience that we are largely out of control of, and the control we thought we might have (e.g., the birth plan), sometimes goes out the window. Giving birth is also a serious medical event, and many birthing individuals and babies experience complications. With these reasons in mind, it’s not surprising that up to 45% report having a traumatic birth.¹ If you’ve experienced trauma in the past, these symptoms can also be re-activated when giving birth. People who experience a traumatic birth can go on to develop postpartum PTSD.

What is birth trauma and postpartum PTSD?

Trauma symptoms as the result of a traumatic birth can include things like:²

  • Nightmares about the birth

  • Memories of your birth experience repeatedly popping in to your mind

  • Feeling on edge or anxious when reminded about the birth

  • Feeling strong negative emotions about the birth (anger, guilt, shame)

  • Feeling detached from others

  • The want to avoid reminders of the birth (which may include things like avoiding your postpartum appointment; avoiding a future pregnancy even if you want another baby; avoiding thinking about the birth)

  • Insomnia (that’s not related to your baby not sleeping well)

  • Irritability

  • Feeling jumpy

Risk factors for birth trauma and postpartum PTSD

  • Lack of control during birth (e.g., not having your birth plan followed)

  • Not getting needed support from others during birth

  • Needing an emergency c-section or other obstetric intervention when giving birth

  • Medical complications

  • Your baby needing to be in the NICU

  • Previous traumatic experiences

Therapy for birth trauma can help you…

  • Process your emotions and experiences

  • Decrease symptoms like memories of the trauma popping into your mind, feeling on edge, and having nightmares

  • Feel closer to others

  • Feel more in control and better able to make decisions according to what’s important to you

My approach to therapy for birth trauma and postpartum PTSD

Depending on what symptoms are most bothersome, and your preferences, we can work on your birth trauma in one of two ways. The first Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, which helps to change how you relate to the thoughts and emotions you have that are related to your birth trauma, while also exploring what you value since trauma symptoms can interfere with living the life that you want. The second type of treatment I offer for birth trauma is exposure-based and helps with putting your emotions, bodily sensations, and thoughts back together, in context. For this type of treatment, I use Narrative Exposure Therapy. This treatment is particularly helpful for people who have gone through multiple traumatic events throughout their life.

In addition to directly working on the birth trauma through therapy, it can also be helpful to work on things like mindfulness, emotion regulation, and communication skills to strengthen relationships, as many people find that their relationships are impacted after a traumatic birth experience.

It can feel terrifying to think about discussing birth trauma with a therapist, so one important thing to know about trauma-focused therapy is that you are always in control. We can discuss treatment options, and you always have the final say about if and when you’re ready to directly address your birth trauma.

You don’t have to carry your trauma alone.

Mindful Health Psychology provides mindful, compassionate online therapy for birth trauma in Denver, Colorado & Chicago, Illinois

Other services offered at Mindful Health Psychology:

Mindful Health Psychology is a practice offering online therapy for Denver, CO, Chicago, IL and beyond in the states of Colorado and Illinois. We specialize in therapy for anxiety, depression, distress during pregnancy, postpartum depression and anxiety, coping with miscarriage and pregnancy loss, coping with fertility-related stressors, PMDD, coping with a chronic medical condition, insomnia, nightmares, circadian rhythm disorders, and hypersomnia disorders. We provide online therapy, making treatment more accessible, which means you can be located in Denver, Chicago, or another city in Colorado or Illinois to receive services.

References

  1. Alcorn KL, O'Donovan A, Patrick JC, Creedy D, Devilly GJ. A prospective longitudinal study of the prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder resulting from childbirth events. Psychological medicine. 2010; 40(11): 1849-1859.

  2. Ayers S, Wright DB, Thornton A. Development of a measure of postpartum PTSD: the city birth trauma scale. Frontiers in psychiatry. 2018; 9: 409.