What is birth trauma?

It’s safe to say all new moms and new families have a story about the birth of their baby. The words birth trauma, when it comes to the delivery, are getting a lot of attention right now. Trauma means different things to different people.

According to Dr. Natasha Ahmed, OB/GYN Town Plaza Women’s Health – a part of HCA Midwest Health, “When talking about birth trauma, it doesn’t always refer to a bad outcome, that your baby was in the NICU or you had a C-section, but it means that there was something traumatic around the birth of your baby.”

When talking about trauma, it’s usually when things don’t go according to plan.

“It’s at a time when as a new mom, you are your most vulnerable. Even if you’re been through it before, it’s different every time and hard to prepare for all scenarios,” Dr. Ahmed says.

Make sure you birth plan has several possibilities

So, what can be done to be the most prepared to handle the all the unexpected of the day? Dr. Ahmed says it all starts with a birth plan.

“The more prep work you do, whether it’s physical therapy, birthing classes or hiring a doula, can really give you tools to help navigate the unexpected,” she says.

A birth plan can be as simple as a couple notes written down about some general preferences or it can be as specific as having a special playlist. An important part of that birth plan should be; How are you going to make the big decisions. Choices such as, when a vaginal birth was planned, at what time does a discussion start about a possible C-section? What about pain medication? Do you want any private time right after the birth?

 “Have a birth plan that is honest, real life conversations about real life possibilities,” Dr. Ahmed says.

What to do when your birth doesn’t go as expected

If you feel that a part of your birth was traumatic, talk to someone. It’s important to not let one aspect of your birth experience over shadow the entire experience.

“As an OB/GYN I try to step in and remind then that they are going to get to meet their baby soon. You get to see what color eyes they have. You get to see if they look like their big sister, mom or dad,” Dr. Ahmed says.

Dr. Ahmed also says if you experienced a traumatic birth, she recommends her patients to reach out to a behavioral health specialist to work through the trauma.

“Reach out to your OB/GYN for a referral to a mental health specialist and find other moms who have gone through the same experience to help heal from the emotional effects of a traumatic birth experience.”

HCA Midwest Health hospitals deliver more babies in the Kansas City region each year. With four labor and delivery hospitals across the Kansas City area, we make it convenient to receive exceptional pregnancy and childbirth care. Find a doctor at HCAMidwest.com/Delivers.