Birth Trauma Treatment
Did You Experience Birth Trauma?
Many people that experienced birth trauma feel as if they had precious moments robbed from them, ones they will never get back.
We work with you to find ways to feel liberated from the unanswered questions, the injustices and the flashbacks to finally be at peace with your birth experience.
No mother should have to give birth this way.
You had this vision of what birth, and the subsequent moments after birth were supposed to look like. You might have had a birth plan, where you described your wants and needs for giving birth. Yet, labor and delivery didn’t go to plan.
Maybe, you had an emergency c-section, an unsuccessful induction. Or you labored for hours and hours without progression and had constant dilation checks which left you feeling exposed, unheard, and frustrated. Perhaps, you did not feel like your needs and wants were not being prioritized. Maybe, there was a scare during the process and there was a moment where the baby’s heartbeat could not be found. Or, your baby had to be in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) after labor and you were not allowed the bonding moments after birth that you so strongly craved.
Not everyone who experiences a traumatic birth develops PTSD symptoms, but many do. It is a normal and common response to a traumatic birth. It is in no way your fault that your body responded this way to the event. If you are experiencing any symptoms related to birth trauma, this is not a sign of weakness.
Meet the Therapists
Symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Birth Trauma
Re-experiencing the distressing event. This might happen by a trigger that reminds you of the event or something related to the event. You might re-experience the event through nightmares, flashbacks and/or memories or thoughts that are intrusive.
Feeling like you are constantly on edge, alert. You might be hypervigilant, irritable, anxious. You may experience anger and frustration.
Worrying that something terrible is going to happen to either you or the baby. You are unable to decrease the intensity of that worry as it consumes you.
Avoiding anything that reminds you of the trauma. You might not want to go back to see your doctor because of their connection to the trauma. Or, you might not want to go back to the hospital where you gave birth.
Feeling unhappy and low after the event.
Frustration, regret, anger, and blame either toward yourself or toward other people involved in the birth.
Difficulty remembering aspects of your birth.
What is Birth Trauma?
Birth trauma is a term that has come to reflect the experience of mothers after a traumatic birth. Some mothers might be experiencing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), while others might not be experiencing all of the symptoms of PTSD but still feel greatly impacted by their experience of birth.
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder can occur after any traumatic event, such as having a very difficult birth. You can also experience PTSD after witnessing a traumatic and disturbing event. Partners and medical professionals can also experience birth trauma after witnessing a traumatic birth. Many times a birth is traumatic because of the possibility of death and loss, either for the mother or the baby, but that is not always the case.
A mother might feel like the atmosphere around her during birth, the medical interventions or the recovery after birth was traumatic.
Examples of Birth Trauma
It is important to note that everyone is different. Some people might feel that the birth itself was traumatic. While for others, it might be the lack of control they felt or the intense sadness they experienced postpartum. Birth trauma is not just limited to experiences that happened during birth. It could also be due to something that happened during the recovery process at the hospital or the subsequent time postpartum at home.
Someone might experience birth trauma due to one or more of the following experiences:
Previous trauma that is brought up and triggered by the experience of birth
A lack of care or support after having your baby
Baby’s stay in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU)
Intensive separation from baby, either immediately after birth or some time after
The process of birth and its involvement in the birth of a baby with special needs
Infant loss or harm
Experiencing a lack of privacy or dignity during the birth process or after
Not receiving enough information or explanation during the process of birth
Feeling as if someone did not listen to you
Medical interventions, some of which you felt were unnecessary
Emergency cesarean section- “belly birth”
Feeling as if the treatment you received by the staff was impersonal or aggressive
Forceps birth
Feeling like everything was out of your control
No pain relief
Feeling like you wanted to die during the process of birth and coming to terms with that experience
A failed induction or unwanted induction
A lengthy and painful labor
A lack of postpartum support
Intense emotional and mood shifts you had postpartum- baby blues or postpartum depression
Birth Trauma Treatment Can Help You Move Forward
Counseling for birth trauma can be very helpful to begin to feel like yourself again so that you can be more present for your child, for your partner, and for yourself. Birth trauma and the impact it has on your life can be all-consuming. It feels as if there is a fog or cloud of anger over your life. You are living life but you feel like you had valuable moments, experiences are taken from you. There are experiences and time that is still being taken from you and therapy can help you stop that.
Many times you might feel like you are the only one that had this type of birth or postpartum experience. You might compare your birth to your friends, who describe a sense of elation and euphoria post-birth, and ask yourself, “what did you do wrong?.”
Our Approach to Online Birth Trauma Treatment in Florida:
Unfortunately, birth trauma is very common. You are not alone. Our therapists specialize in postpartum support and counseling, they have helped clients, who have experienced birth trauma, regain a sense of control over their life and body- reconnecting to themselves and regaining all that they felt they lost during those traumatic moments and experiences. We are committed to helping you through this process. Although we can not change what happened, we wish we could, but we can help you through this journey towards healing.
Our therapists use research-based, evidence-based approaches, and techniques with our clients to help them achieve the relief that they need. Often in the first session, we want to hear your story, your voice. It is important that we hear the impact your child’s birth, or related experience, had on you and your relationships, what factors contributed to your experience, and what meaning you attribute to the process. We want to discuss the different systems that are involved in the process of birth, often revealing injustices. Then, we work with you to fight those injustices in a way that is helpful and empowering to you.
We have found that there are many different approaches that can be helpful with Birth Trauma. One is Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy or TF-CBT. In Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, you learn to recognize thoughts that are distressing or start the chain of emotion. We work on you gaining an understanding of how these thoughts are impacting you and how we can begin to change those thought patterns.
Positive Outcomes from Birth Trauma Treatment
Birth trauma and the aftermath of that experience can rob you of possible moments with your family and child, memories that you will never have, time that you will never get back. Let our therapists help you stop that from continuing to happen. Let us help you and guide you towards healing so that you can be fully present with your child and partner. Positive outcomes you may experience from birth trauma treatment include:
Freedom from the confines of the impact of the trauma s
Feeling more like yourself
Having the emotional energy to connect more deeply with friends and family
Feeling more comfortable in your body with the confidence and comfort you need to take care of yourself physically
Better sleep
Calm
Improved concentration and a sense of mental clarity
The ability to focus on other things besides the impact and weight of the trauma
Feeling like you have your life back; a sense of connection to your body
Fewer flashbacks and intrusive thoughts
Common Questions about Therapy for Birth Trauma
Will my insurance cover my birth trauma treatment at your clinic?
Unfortunately, we do not take insurance at this time. There are reasons why we don’t. One of those reasons has to do with confidentiality. Often insurance requires that you provide your medical notes and records. These records can go through many different hands at the insurance company. Another is, in order to be covered by insurance you have to receive a psychiatric diagnosis, which at times does not always fit the clients we are seeing.
Where do you provide birth trauma treatment?
We offer online therapy for birth trauma and PTSD as it relates to birth to individuals and couples residing in Florida. Our counseling office is physically located in Miami, South Florida, however, we are not offering in person therapy at the moment for the safety of clients and our therapists.
I am not sure if therapy is right for me. How will I know if therapy is what I need?
We understand that the last thing you might want to do is have to deal with yet another thing to do. You might think that therapy is for crazy people, but I am not crazy. Or, you might believe that you should be able to solve your own problems, you shouldn’t need help. Maybe therapy never crossed your mind as a possible solution for your experience. Will talking to someone really help me?
No matter how you view therapy, what is important is that if you are struggling you deserve things to be different. You deserve to not feel at the mercy of your birth experience. Taking care of yourself is so important. It is not only important for you, but for your child, your family and your partner. If you take care of yourself, if you are feeling better, than you can more present for those in your life.
We are here for you. If you would like to learn more about birth trauma counseling you can reach out to us, or schedule your first consultation.
Begin Birth Trauma Treatment in Miami, FL or Online Therapy in Florida:
Although you will never move on from the birth trauma you experienced, you can move forward and embrace the life you have ahead. Our therapists are ready to help you heal. To begin counseling in Miami, or online therapy in Florida, follow these steps:
Contact our South Florida counseling center,
Request an initial consultation appointment with a therapist who specializes in birth trauma,
Allow yourself the opportunity to heal and find peace through counseling.
Other Services Offered at The Heard Counseling:
The Heard Counseling offers mental health services tailored to meet the needs of parents throughout pregnancy, postpartum, and parenthood at our therapy center based in Miami, Florida. Right now, they are offering all their counseling services via online therapy to protect the health of their clients and therapists. In addition to birth trauma treatment, they also offer postpartum anxiety and postpartum anxiety treatment, anxiety therapy, therapy for dads, therapy for moms, infertility counseling and support, therapy for women and families who have experienced pregnancy and infant loss, and counseling for teens. Check out their blog for valuable mental health tips. Contact their counseling office to learn more about the many ways they can help you live well.
Contact Us
april@theheardcounseling.com
(305) 998-2665
Offering Online Therapy in FLORIDA
Office Located in Miami, Florida in South Florida
Birth Trauma Therapy
Birth Trauma in Florida
Birth PTSD Counseling