The birth of a baby is supposed to be a joyous event, right? And don’t get me wrong… it certainly is! In so many ways, bringing a new child into the world shifts yours - opening up new hopes and fears and possibilities and feelings that you probably never imagined (at least I didn’t!)…
But what happens when things don’t go according to plan?
That’s right, an estimated 25-34% of women report that their birth experiences were traumatic (Simkin, 2017). And the Centers for Disease Control suggest that 15-20% of all pregnancies in the U.S. end in miscarriage or stillbirth (2017).
And that’s only the tip of the iceberg…
Millions of parents struggle daily with the heart-wrenching reality of traumatic birth, miscarriage, and pregnancy and infant loss. And their pain often goes unrecognized and unacknowledged, in part because it challenges a universal narrative that pregnancy and birth should be happy and natural parts of life.
Read more here about the 8 signs your birth experience may have been traumatic.
Early intervention following perinatal trauma is important…
References
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2017). www.cdc.gov
Simkin, P. (2017). Birth trauma: Definition and statistics. Prevention and Treatment of Traumatic Birth. www.PATTCh.org