Birth Trauma and Postnatal PTSD

What is birth trauma? Some women experience events in pregnancy, during childbirth, or immediately after birth that would traumatise any normal person. For other women, it is not always the sensational or dramatic events that trigger childbirth trauma but other factors such as:

What does Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) look like? PTSD is the term for a set of normal reactions to a traumatic, scary or bad experience. A person may experience posttraumatic stress when an experience is perceived to be threatening to the self or someone close to the self (e.g. their baby). The person responds with intense fear, helplessness or horror. A person with PTSD present with the following: Re-experiencing of the event by way of recurrent intrusive memories, flashbacks and nightmares. The individual will usually feel distressed, anxious or panicky when exposed to things which remind them of the event. Avoidance of anything that reminds them of the trauma. This can include talking about it, although sometimes women may go through a stage of talking of their traumatic experience a lot so that it obsesses them at times. Increased 'arousal' around things associated with the event (difficulty sleeping, feeling angry, feeling irritable, hyper vigilance).

Tips for partners The partner is likely to be only other person who has shared the whole experience with the woman and is in a unique position to be able to offer support.

Lengthy labour or short and very painful labour Induction Poor pain relief Feelings of loss of control High levels of medical intervention Traumatic or emergency deliveries Impersonal treatment or problems with the staff attitudes Not being listened to Lack of information or explanation Lack of privacy and dignity Fear for baby's safety Stillbirth Birth of a damaged baby (a disability resulting from birth trauma) Babys stay in ICU Poor postnatal care Previous trauma (for example, in childhood, with a previous birth or domestic violence)

Be prepared to seek help from wherever you can - for the mother, yourself and your familys sake. Try to find out as much as you can about birth trauma, and if necessary be prepared to fight for the necessary professional support for your wife/partner and yourself. Encourage the mother to seek help from a GP, health visitor or friends Remind her that she is not going mad and will get better. Reassure her of your support and that you will not abandon her.

However hard it is, please try not to:

Tell her to pull yourself together. She is already feeling bad about herself and is doing her best. Ignore or dismiss her feelings. Walk out on her or distance yourself from her however difficult or impossible it seems.

Getting help Although these reactions are normal after experiencing a traumatic event, support and counseling may be needed to prevent chronic posttraumatic mental health problems and impairment in functioning. If you are experiencing some of the problems discussed above, please talk to: your gynecologist or midwife, family and friends, a counselor or mental health professional

I witnessed my childs birth and my mind is now full of distressing images that wont go away. Could I be traumatised too? Partners are very likely to have been present at the birth and witnessed the distress and pain of their wife or partner. The feeling of helplessness for the one you love can be extremely upsetting and the experience is likely to have also been very traumatic for the dad. Seek professional help from your GP or other health professional if you feel the birth experience has affected you personally and continues to affect your daily life. Much of the guidance on this pamphlet for women can also be related to the partners feelings about the birth experience (e.g. fear, lack of control, lack of information, not being listened to) and it is important to seek help and support as early as possib le for everyones sake.

What is Postnatal PTSD? It is now understood that Post Traumatic Stress Disorder can be a consequence of a traumatic birth, and is referred to as Postnatal PTSD. Many women who do not have PTSD suffer from some of the symptoms of PTSD after undergoing difficult birth experiences and this can cause them genuine and longlasting distress. These women are also in need of support. Women who suffer Post Natal PTSD symptoms frequently find themselves very isolated and detached from other mothers. They also find themselves without a voice in a society which fails to understand the psychology of childbirth and which therefore expects mothers to get over their birth experience very quickly.

Childbirth is a subjective and very personal experience. Every mothers birthing experience is unique.