SIGNS YOU’RE STRUGGLING WITH BIRTH TRAUMA
Signs You May Be Struggling with Birth Trauma (And How Therapy Can Help)
Birth trauma is a deeply personal and often overwhelming experience that can affect both the body and mind and your relationship with your baby. It’s important to understand that birth trauma doesn’t just refer to physical injuries during childbirth—it can also include emotional or psychological distress that may arise from a difficult birth experience. For many parents, especially new mothers, it can be difficult to recognize when they’re struggling with birth trauma, as the symptoms may be subtle or confusing. If you’ve recently given birth and are experiencing emotional challenges, it’s possible that birth trauma could be playing a role.
In this post, we’ll explore the common signs of birth trauma and how therapy can help you heal and regain a sense of balance and control in your life. Birth trauma is not commonly talked about in mainstream culture and society yet it is highly treatable. Let’s talk about signs and symptoms below:
1. Flashbacks or Intrusive Memories
One of the hallmark symptoms of trauma is reliving the event through flashbacks or intrusive memories. If you’ve experienced a traumatic birth, you might find that thoughts, images, or even sounds/smells from the delivery keep coming up unexpectedly. These flashbacks can be distressing, causing you to re-experience the feelings of fear, helplessness, or pain that you experienced during childbirth. If these memories are interfering with your ability to function, get rest or feel present, it’s important to acknowledge them and seek help.
2. Hypervigilance and Anxiety
After birth, many parents experience a heightened state of alertness, which is entirely normal as they adjust to caring for a newborn. However, for those dealing with birth trauma, this anxiety can be overwhelming. You may feel constantly on edge, hyper-aware of potential threats, or unable to relax—even in the safety of your own home. You might also have excessive fears about your baby’s well-being or experience nightmares or difficulty sleeping. For example, oftentimes this looks like a parent staying awake to watch their baby sleep because they are afraid of SIDS. This hypervigilance can significantly impact your mental health, wellbeing, experience of parenthood and your ability to bond with your child.
3. Difficulty Bonding with Your Baby
For many new parents, bonding with their baby is an instinctual and joyful experience. However, if you’ve experienced birth trauma, you may feel emotionally distant from your baby, even though you deeply want to connect. Feelings of guilt, shame, or disappointment can cloud your ability to fully engage with your newborn. Birth trauma can create an emotional block that prevents you from feeling the bond you expect. There is often disappointment about the initial way you met your baby (for example: an emergency c-section where they placed baby on you when you were not fully conscious) which can cause you to feel difficulty in bonding with baby. Therapy can help address these emotional barriers and restore a sense of connection. It is never to late to bond with your child, however old they are after the birth experience.
4. Fear or Avoidance of Future Pregnancies
If you’ve gone through a traumatic birth experience, you may develop a fear or anxiety about the idea of becoming pregnant again. This fear can stem from the traumatic memories of childbirth, as well as concerns about the physical and emotional toll it took on you. In some cases, the fear may be so intense that it prevents you from wanting to have more children, even if that was once part of your plan. Therapy can help you process these fears and help you decide what’s best for you and your family. Pregnancy with subsequent children is the most common time that people see me for my birth trauma treatment.
5. Feelings of Helplessness or Lack of Control
Feeling a sense of powerlessness during childbirth—whether due to an emergency C-section, an unexpected complication, or a lack of control over the birth process—is common in cases of birth trauma. These feelings can extend beyond childbirth, leaving you with a lingering sense of helplessness in other areas of your life. You might feel that you’re not in control of your body, your emotions, or even your parenting. Therapy can help you regain a sense of agency by processing these feelings and helping you reconnect with your inner strength. All of us need control and it is normal to experience helplessness and anxiety when we lost that power or control in the birth experience.
How Therapy Can Help Heal Birth Trauma
If you identify with any of these signs of birth trauma, it’s important to know that healing is possible. Therapy offers a safe, supportive space to process the emotional and psychological impacts of childbirth. Approaches like somatic therapy and trauma-focused therapy can help you release stored emotions in the body and mind, creating a path toward healing. Bilateral Stimulation—a technique often used to process trauma—can also be an effective way to rapidly heal birth-related trauma and begin the recovery process. If you want to learn more about bilateral stimulation, read article here.
Therapy can help you:
Process the emotions surrounding your birth experience
Develop healthy coping mechanisms for managing anxiety or stress
Address fear around future pregnancies or childbirth
Rebuild a connection with your baby and your partner. To learn more about secure attachment, visit this article.
Regain a sense of control over your body and your life
If you’re struggling with any of these symptoms, know that seeking therapy is a brave and important step toward healing. You deserve to feel whole and empowered in your parenting journey, and addressing birth trauma can make all the difference. Reach out to schedule a free consultation today.
Take the First Step
If you’re experiencing signs of birth trauma and are looking for support, therapy can help. At Thriving California, we specialize in working with parents who are navigating the emotional challenges of birth trauma. Whether you’re looking for somatic therapy, trauma-focused therapy, or other therapeutic approaches, we’re here to support you in your healing journey. We have training in leading and innovative approaches for healing birth trauma.
Book a free consultation today to take the first step toward reclaiming your peace and emotional well-being.
