Trigger warning: This blog and the linked recording includes discussion of infertility, miscarriage, stillbirth, traumatic birth, birth interventions and NICU, so if any of these are triggering for you you may choose not to read on or to put in some protections for yourself while doing so

I recently did an Instagram Live with Niamh Healy of My Bump, My Birth, My Baby discussing Birth Trauma.

You can find the replay here.

In the video we discussed what birth trauma is and how it can be used as a catch all term for any trauma experienced around pregnancy and birth from preconception to the early postnatal period. Niamh takes us through some symptoms of this type of trauma including (but not limited to):

• flashbacks
• nightmares
• intrusive thoughts
• feeling disconnected 
• difficulty sleeping
• anxiety

and how sometimes these symptoms are misdiagnosed as postnatal depression. We discuss how any birth can be experienced as traumatic and equally how a birth that may look traumatic on paper may not be experienced that way and how it is the experience of the person involved that matters. I myself experienced birth trauma during my first birth and also in relation to the early post natal period. My second birth, while it may have looked traumatic on paper - very fast, shoulder dystocia, 3rd degree tear, ambulance transfer from home to hospital it absolutely was not as I felt very safe with my midwife who I had gotten to know in pregnancy, who I trusted completely and who always treated me with dignity, compassion & respect. You can read my second birth story here.

We also discussed how the other parent or support people present can also experience birth trauma. Niamh then takes us through Birth Trauma Resolution (BTR) and how it can help you overcome the triggering responses. My biggest trigger after the birth of my first baby was the smell of the postnatal ward, often I would go into a public toilet and be hit with that smell and go back into a fight or flight response. Birth trauma resolution wasn't something that was available in Ireland at the time and I'd never heard of it. It took years and a lot of personal work for me to overcome that reaction.

Niamh explains how only a few sessions of BTR are needed to train the brain into putting the memory into the 'past' rather than something that can be relived in the present moment when triggered. I really wish this was something I had available to be back then as I've since seen the wonders it can do for other people. It is important to note that 80% of people who experiences a traumatic birth will process that experience effectively within 4-6 weeks and are not left with lasting triggers or symptoms but for the 20% of people who are still experiencing this after 6 weeks BTR can be life changing. If you would like to find out more about the work that Niamh and her colleague Mim are doing you can click here and book here. I know both Niamh & Mim personally and would feel very safe in either of their hands,