Tag Archives: Healing From Birth
After birth trauma – why go back over the birth when you can’t change the past?
How you can change your NOW by exploring BACK THEN. You can’t change what happened in your birth. People we meet often ask us, “Why ‘go there’? You can’t change what happened.” They are right. But… you CAN change your understanding of it. And your insights about the issues surrounding it. And your level of […]
No, I did not need my traumatic birth for personal growth
Why we need to stop telling women this was the birth they ‘had to have’. 18 years ago, I became mother to a plump little person who emerged from the fiery depths of a traumatic birth, and initiated me into motherhood. The impact of that birth shook me to the core. It rippled out […]
“She Believed She Could” – why this saying has no place in birth.
We’e often seen this quote passed around natural birth groups online : “She believed she could….so she did.” And it’s always bothered us. Because while we wish it was true – we wish that determination was enough – unfortunately in our birthing culture, it often isn’t. And because most women don’t know that – the […]
Rachael’s story: finally healing after traumatic birth, severe tearing, vaginal prolapse plus 3 failed repair surgeries.
“My body is still different after having three kids but it’s no longer “injured” or “broken”. It’s strong, functional and most of all comfortable!” When we first met Rachael, she was resigning herself to living with constant pain from her first child’s traumatic arrival, after three failed surgeries to repair the damage, and dismissive attitudes […]
Why can’t I just accept my traumatic birth?
Many women ask themselves this. But what if you don’t need to accept it, to heal? Debby Gould and Melissa Bruijn are founders of Birthtalk.org, where, for 15 years, they have supported women in healing from a traumatic birth, and guided them towards empowering and positive subsequent births. They are also authors of new book, […]
Five steps you can take right now to begin to heal from your traumatic birth
After a traumatic birth, it can be so hard. You have to deal with the needs of your newborn, and with any older children needing you. You might be floundering under the emotional and physical fallout from the birth. You might be finding that it is incredibly hard to get anyone at all to understand […]
More reasons why breastfeeding can be so hard after a traumatic birth – and why it’s STILL not your fault. [Part Two]
I was completely devastated. I felt like I had failed to go into labour naturally and, while having resisted some interventions, did not achieve the peaceful, calm, un-injured birth I wanted, and had now failed to exclusively breastfeed my child. Rosemary I felt like such a bad mother – every other baby in the ward […]
How to write your birth story after a traumatic birth (& why it can be a healing step)
Writing my birth story gave me my birth back. Somehow, knowing the order that things happened in, and what was going on beyond my own experience, and expressing fully what was going on for me, worked together to give me the feeling that, finally, it was ‘my’ birth. At last. Such a massive leap […]
Introducing ‘How to Heal a Bad Birth’ – our new book!
Finally! After 8 years of writing, researching, sharing our knowledge, gathering poignant stories from women and men, and learning about the publishing process…all alongside caring for our families’ needs…our book is DONE. ‘How to Heal a Bad Birth : making sense, making peace and moving on’ will be available worldwide JUNE 23!
Retrieving your birth records after a traumatic birth : how to get them, what to do with them, and why it can be a healing step
Many women who have had a traumatic birth retrieve their birth notes to aid in the healing process, and in preparation for a subsequent birth. Going over your notes (especially with a midwife who understands that birth matters) can be very powerful in helping you move to a new level of healing and knowledge. At […]
![Why breastfeeding can be so hard after a traumatic birth - and why it's not your fault. [part 1]](https://i0.wp.com/birthtraumatruths.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/bfing-cropped.png?resize=40%2C40&ssl=1){kind=small}
The Truth About Traumatic Birth 