Mothers and Experts Talk About Birth Trauma

A series of articles that came out around Mother’s Day brought a spotlight to the part of having a baby that nobody talks about – birth trauma and its associated post-partum complications. Although everyone is generally aware that childbirth can be a harrowing and painful experience for many women, and that post-partum depression is a legitimate diagnosis, many people are unaware of what birth trauma entails.

What is birth trauma?

Birth trauma is very similar to post-traumatic stress disorder. The Birth Trauma Association explains that birth trauma can develop in a mother (or parent, or doula) during an overly difficult birth, where the mother has “the fear that [she] or [her] baby are going to die. We very often see birth trauma in women who have lost a lot of blood, for example, or who had to have an emergency caesarean because their baby’s heartrate suddenly dipped.”

The Association also provides advice on coping with birth trauma.

What are common symptoms of birth trauma?

Because not everyone has the same experience with labor and delivery, not everyone experiences birth trauma in the same way. However, it is important to remember that birth trauma is much more than the “baby blues.” A BuzzFeed News piece explains that birth trauma exists on a spectrum, one that can range from “full-blown post-traumatic stress disorder, which might look like flashbacks or hypervigilance, to symptoms that might not warrant a diagnosis but indicate difficulty coping after childbirth.”

The mental health charity Mind describes symptoms of birth trauma (sometimes called post-natal PTSD):

• Re-living parts of the trauma via flashbacks, intrusive thoughts, and nightmares
• Alertness and feeling on edge, also called “hypervigilance”
• Avoiding feelings or memories of the event, including blocking out details, feeling emotionally numb, or using drugs or alcohol to avoid emotions
• Difficult beliefs, like feeling you can’t trust people or that you are unsafe, or even blaming yourself for what happened

Not every mother who experiences a traumatic birth will suffer from birth trauma, but the Birth Trauma Association explains, “It’s a completely normal response…It’s also involuntary: brain scans show a difference between the brains of people with PTSD and those without.”

What causes birth trauma?

Although any traumatic or highly stressful experience can cause birth trauma, some of the most common reasons include:

• Difficult labor and long, painful delivery
• Emergency or unplanned caesarean section
• Escalated medical intervention
• Experiencing a birth injury
• Fear for own and/or baby’s safety
• Feeling ignored or dismissed by medical staff
• Forceps births
• Poor pain management
• Previous birth trauma
• Significant blood loss by the mother
• Stillbirth

Psychology Today puts it simply: “Since trauma is a subjective experience, a traumatic birth occurs when you experience intense fear that you or your baby are going to die.”

Can medical malpractice cause birth trauma?

Sometimes. If your labor and delivery do not go according to plan and an emergency occurs, doctors, nurses, and other medical staff should be prepared for any potential crises. Your doctor should understand what to do if mother and/or baby are in distress, and act accordingly. If a traumatic birth leads to your child suffering a birth injury due to your doctor’s negligence, then you may have grounds for a malpractice claim.

Common birth injuries stemming from medical malpractice include:

• Brain injuries
• Broken bones
• Cerebral palsy
• Erb’s palsy
• Hypoxia
• Nerve damage
• Shoulder dystocia
• Skull fractures

If the hospital or medical staff fails to address or diagnose a condition that could have prevented a traumatic birth and therefore your child’s injuries, you may consider consulting with an experienced attorney to safeguard your rights.

The birth injury attorneys at Plaxen Adler Muncy, P.A. are dedicated to protecting victims of medical malpractice and other doctor errors. We hold them responsible for their negligence and for the harm they caused both you and your child. To schedule a free consultation about your case, give our Maryland offices a call at 410-730-7737 or use our contact form.