Negative Beliefs In Birth Trauma

Research is indicating that a significant number of individuals experience birth trauma. Up to 45% of birth parents report their birth as traumatic, and 4% of birth parents develop post-traumatic stress disorder.

But what is trauma? When most people think of trauma, they think of ‘Big T’ traumas, which includes experiencing or witnessing:

• Death/Loss

• Natural disasters

• Serious accidents

• Abuse (e.g., physical, sexual, emotional, verbal)

• Assault (e.g., physical, sexual)

• War/combat

Did you know that there are also ‘little t’ traumas? Trauma is defined as a negative emotional response to an event, and it can be subjective. Cheryl Beck, a pioneer in researching childbirth trauma, says trauma is in the “eye of the beholder”. Beck’s research has shown that ‘little t’ traumas in childbirth can look like:

• Perception of lack of caring (e.g., felt abandoned, stripped of dignity, lack of support and reassurance)

• Poor communication (e.g., felt invisible, not heard, not important)

• Feeling of powerlessness (e.g., betrayal of trust, didn’t feel protected by staff, lack of control)

You may notice how limiting beliefs from childhood - such as “I felt abandoned” or “I need to have control” - can be activated by birth trauma. AND it is possible to heal from birth trauma.

It is also possible to have a more positive birth experience, if you choose to have another child. I have personally experienced this. I have also seen many of my clients make powerful transformations in our work together - going from feeling like birth was a traumatic experience that happened *to* them, to feeling like an empowered participant in the birthing process.

If you are interested in identifying and changing your own negative core beliefs, click here to sign up for my weekly newsletter, and get access to my FREE guide, What’s Holding You Back?: 10 Common Limiting Beliefs in Parenthood!