When Birth Doesn't Go as Planned: Navigating Trauma and Healing After the Unexpected
Featuring Rachel
With Lauren Zatezalo, OT student, and Melissa O'Neal, OTR/L
You can plan and prepare for every detail of your birth, but what happens when it does not go as planned? In this episode we talk with guest speaker Rachel about her traumatic birth experience due to preeclampsia. We discuss what it is like to navigate a traumatic birth and provide recommendations on how to cope and heal afterwards. If you are struggling to process an unexpected or traumatic birth, this episode is for you.
About Rachel
Rachel is a mom to one beautiful daughter and a pediatric occupational therapist from Richmond, Kentucky. She became pre-eclamptic and ended up being induced and having her daughter at 36 weeks. Within 24 hours she went from normal blood pressure to being admitted to the hospital. She was given magnesium to protect her brain from the high blood pressure. She suffered from some memory loss and found herself realizing she did not remember a lot of her labor and birth experience due to fatigue.
What You Will Learn in This Episode
- A traumatic birth is experienced when there is a perceived or life threatening series of events that cause injury or death of the infant or mother. Roughly 17% of moms develop birth related post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), with symptoms including intrusive involuntary thoughts, avoidance, changes in arousal levels, and difficulty sleeping.
- Trauma impacts the brain in several ways: memory loss where the brain struggles to remember and integrate the birth experience, increased amygdala activity causing you to be on high alert, reduced ability to regulate emotions due to decreased functioning of the prefrontal cortex, and numbness that can interfere with bonding with the infant.
- You are allowed to grieve not getting the birth experience that you wanted. Do not compare your story to others. Give yourself grace for how you process what happened.
- Force yourself to rest and heal. Do not be afraid to seek professional help and lean on your support system. Recovery looks different for everyone.
- If you or someone you know is struggling, the National Maternal Mental Health Hotline is available by call or text at 1-833-943-5746 (1-833-9-HELP4MOMS). Postpartum Support International also offers guidance on healing from a traumatic birth experience.
Show Notes and Resources
Preeclampsia Foundation resources (preeclampsia.org). Postpartum Support International: 5 Ways to Start Healing from a Traumatic Birth Experience (postpartum.net/5-ways-to-start-healing-from-a-traumatic-birth-experience). APA Maternal Mental Health Toolkit. National Maternal Mental Health Hotline: call or text 1-833-943-5746 (1-833-9-HELP4MOMS). Centers for Disease Control and Prevention resources for pregnant and postpartum women. Bozeman Counseling Center: 5 Ways to Heal from Birth Trauma (bozemancounselingcenter.com/blog/5-ways-to-heal-from-birth-trauma).
From This Episode
You can plan and prepare for every detail of your birth, but what happens when it does not go as planned? When the unexpected takes over and fear replaces excitement? You are allowed to grieve not getting the birth experience that you wanted. Your story is your story.
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