PTSD after childbirth: Birth trauma and getting help.
Our grateful thanks to the Birth Trauma Association for their contribution to our radio report, which you can hear again at the bottom of this page. To reach the Birth Trauma Association for further help and support visit our Links Page
Childbirth can be an emotional and overwhelming experience. While many people look back on the birth of their baby positively, for some the experience can be frightening, distressing or traumatic.
For some women, these experiences can lead to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) - it can also affect their partners.
Birth trauma can happen after a birth that was medically complicated, but it can also happen when a birth appeared straightforward to others. What matters is how the experience affected you.
You may have felt frightened for your own safety or your baby's safety, felt that you had lost control, or felt that you weren't listened to or didn't understand what was happening.
What can PTSD after childbirth feel like? Symptoms can include:
You don't have to have experienced a particular type of birth for your feelings to be valid. A traumatic experience is not necessarily defined by what happened medically; it can also be about how frightening, powerless or unsafe you felt.
PTSD can sometimes occur alongside depression or anxiety, and it can affect partners who witnessed a traumatic birth too. NICE recommends that the impact of a traumatic birth on partners should also be taken into account.
When should you seek help? If memories of the birth are continuing to cause significant distress, or you feel that you are struggling to cope, you don't have to deal with it alone.
Talk to your:
You can explain that you are experiencing symptoms following a traumatic birth and ask what support is available.
NHS Talking Therapies can provide psychological treatment for PTSD, and specialist Maternal Mental Health Services have been developed to support women whose mental health difficulties are directly related to their maternity experience, including PTSD following birth trauma.
NICE recommends trauma-focused psychological treatment, including trauma-focused cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) or EMDR (eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing), for PTSD resulting from traumatic birth.
You can ask questions about what happened. Some people find it helpful to talk through their birth with a healthcare professional who can explain what happened and why.
Depending on where you live, there may also be a Birth Reflections or similar service where you can discuss your maternity experience and ask questions.
You may also find it helpful to talk to someone you trust, such as a partner, family member or friend.
Most importantly, you don't need to prove that your birth was traumatic before asking for help.
Support and information: The Birth Trauma Association provides information and support for people affected by birth trauma and PTSD following childbirth. (see our Links Page)
NHS – mental health support during and after pregnancy, The NHS provides information about mental health during pregnancy and after having a baby, including how to access professional support.
And frinally....If you are struggling right now. If you are experiencing a mental health crisis or feel that you or someone else is in immediate danger, please seek urgent help through the NHS or emergency services. If you are worried about your mental health following childbirth but it is not an emergency, speak to your GP, midwife or health visitor. Your birth experience matters. If what happened has stayed with you, help is available — and recovery is possible.
Listen to this weeks radio report
All material on this website is provided for your information only and may not be construed as medical advice or instruction. No action or inaction should be taken based solely on the contents of this information; instead, readers should consult appropriate health professionals on any matter relating to their health and well-being.
