![]() The mother finds either the events, injury or the care she received deeply distressing or disturbing. ‘The emergence of a baby from the body of its mother, in a way which may or may not have caused physical injury. A concept analysis based on previous research proposed the following definition of birth trauma (read the concept analysis here ): It seems to be something that birthing individuals are just expected to “get over,” particularly when everyone is physically healthy after the birth.īirth trauma is poorly defined in the research and the terms “birth trauma” and “traumatic birth” are often used interchangeably. ” Yet, despite almost half of mothers experiencing birth trauma, it is rarely included as a part of labor and delivery preparation, screened for in the postpartum period, or even discussed. Research finds that up to 45% of mothers report experiencing “birth trauma. An emerging line of research on birth trauma can help us to understand just how common this experience is and how to cope with this experience. We should be allowed to acknowledge the difficult or scary parts of the birth experience and/or mourn the birth experience that was lost. There should be room to express both gratitude about the birth as well as process the trauma, anger, and feeling of loss that may have occurred at the same time. It seemed like there was an attitude of “these things just happen during childbirth.”Ĭhildbirth can be a scary and traumatic experience for birthing people as well as their partners. And I was extremely grateful but I felt like I also needed acknowledgement of how scary the entire experience was. However, the only response I got from most medical providers, family, or friends was how grateful I should be that everything was okay and reminders that it could have been much worse. I told my birth story over and over again in the coming days as I tried to understand exactly what happened. I felt so relieved and grateful but those minutes of pure panic and terror were hard to forget. After what felt like an eternity but was probably at most minutes, I heard that sweet cry and they placed the baby on my chest as if nothing had happened. Every nurse and doctor in the hospital seemed to descend upon the room, while my husband and I desperately asked over and over again “Is he okay?!?!?” No one answered us which only increased our panic. Because this was my third baby, I was immediately concerned when he wasn’t crying and even more concerned when they whisked him away from me without a word. However, it quickly became clear that my baby wasn’t breathing as he emerged. The OB acted quickly and dislodged my baby before a C-section or other more extreme measures were necessary. What I didn’t know is that my baby’s shoulders were stuck (a complication referred to as “shoulder dystocia”). The doctor and nurses kept telling me that I was doing “great” but I could tell by the look on their faces that something was wrong. Yet, with this one, I could tell that I was not making progress. My previous second stages of labor (translation: the “pushing” stage) had been brief and relatively easy. I was immensely relieved when it was finally time to push. This labor was by far the most painful labor I had ever experienced and felt helpless and unsupported without the presence of my doula (at the time, only one support person was permitted). When that didn’t work, the OB broke my water and labor started quickly and intensely. I tried unsuccessfully to get labor going on my own (walking nearly 7 miles in the hospital hallways). I had never been induced before so I added that to the list of stressors and uncertainty going into this birth. Given all of this stress, it was not surprising at my 40-week appointment that my blood pressure was so high that my OB sent me immediately to the hospital to start the induction process. The only thing that seemed clear was that I would be delivering this baby into a scary and uncertain world. The COVID-19 precautionary procedures were changing so rapidly that even my OB couldn’t give me a clear answer to what my labor would look like. I was imagining worst case scenarios like being separated from my baby if one of us tested positive or my husband not being allowed to attend the birth. Going into the birth, there was so much fear and anxiety related to COVID-19. It was June 2020- an uncertain and stressful time to say the least. As I prepare for the birth of my fourth child, I am reflecting a lot on my last birth experience.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |