Child Birth

Birth trauma believe it or not is something that most people take for granted.  They are under the impression that birth trauma simply means difficulty with the actual birth such as a problematical journey through the birth canal.  What is not generally known is that all the pressures of birth and the interactions of mother and baby for delivery are totally fundamental to health.

Obviously there are times when obstacles during birth are definitely not positive and result in difficulties and worse, injuries to mother or baby or both.  Not all birth trauma needs to happen and unfortunately there are standard birthing room procedures that many hospitals conform to that can actually contribute to the creation of birth traumas and are absolutely unnecessary.    

Treatment for the problem that is birth trauma becomes most effective when it is performed as soon as possible after the occurrence of the trauma.  Seemingly the longer the wait before treatment starts then the more prolonged is the process of recovery.   

There is such a thing as the TARA approach.  This is a subtle energy medicine system of healing having special designs for the treatment of birth trauma in babies, children and adults. 

It is a sad but true fact that not all births go to plan.  Some mothers who may have experienced a difficult labour and delivery may have found it extremely hard to come to terms with their experience.   This sense of disappointment and shock following the birth is sometimes described as birth trauma.

There is any number of ways in which certain circumstances can trigger birth trauma.  One cause is having to have a caesarian section instead of a natural birth.  With a natural birth there might be a need for an episiotomy or perhaps you may find your baby’s life is in distress.  Perhaps you feel totally out of control or are experiencing extreme pain.  All of these can be contributory factors to birth trauma. 

One advantage of being able to cope with birth trauma is being able to recognize the signs.   Some of the signs are:-

-           going into panic mode when you are reminded of birth

-           avoiding talking about the experience to come or alternatively talking about it        too much and becoming obsessed by it

-           feeling angry or irritable

It is even been known to blame the partner or the baby for putting them through the trauma.

Every woman once pregnancy has been confirmed will obviously hope that she sails through the following nine months with no problems.  That is human nature and fully expected.

Sadly, as well as the potential for natural causes that can complicate the delivery, a negligent medical professional can also compromise a baby’s health and cause birth trauma.  Forceful delivery tactics which may include using forceps or perhaps he failure to treat or even diagnose pre-existing conditions can also lead to birth trauma. 

If a child experiences birth trauma there are in fact several conditions that can arrive as a result of delivery complications. 

For example there is Erb’s Palsy or Brachial Plexus Palsy.  These are both conditions where the baby’s shoulder will come into contact with the mother’s pelvic bone.  This will cause nerve damage to upper extremities. Hopefully this is fixable within the first two years of the baby’s life.

There is also Cerebral Palsy which is a chronic condition and is caused as a result of the baby not receiving enough oxygen during the birth.  Cerebral Palsy affects an individual’s ability to co-ordinate and control the movement of the muscles. 

Birth trauma can also include head trauma, paralysis and muscular defects. 

Some women experience events during pregnancy, childbirth and afterwards that would define birth trauma with no problem at all.  For other women it is not always the dramatic or sensational events that trigger child trauma.  With them it is things like loss of control and dignity or perhaps the seemingly hostile attitudes of the people around them.  The prospective mother will feel that she is not being listened to or heard.

Research that has been done into birth trauma is limited and has been largely focused on how important the delivery is.  However it is fairly clear that risk factors are present for Post Natal Post Traumatic Stress Disorder that include such items as-:

- A lengthy or very painful labour

- Poor pain relief  

- Feelings that you have lost control

- Traumatic delivery such as a caesarean section

- Lack of privacy or dignity

- Baby has to remain in SCBU for some reason

- Poor care post natal

- Fear for baby’s safety

- Not being listened to

- Lack of information or explanation

Finally believe it or not men can suffer from birth trauma.  If they witness a traumatic birth then they may also feel traumatised.