What is Birth Trauma | Infano | Pregnancy and Childbirth

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Ask your lady friend about her childbirth experiences and chances are that 8 out of 10 friends will tell you how traumatic the experience was. Most women always talk about how painful, difficult, traumatic their birthing experience was, and as a day they won’t forget in their life. Some are totally unaware of what to expect and are often caught by surprise at the whole thing. Some others experience medical complications that add to the existing labour. And many times, blatant apathy by medical professionals makes it a harrowing time.

Whether you have had natural childbirth or a Caesarian section, labour is a difficult time. ‘Birth trauma’ is the distress experienced by a mother during or after childbirth. It is referred to the emotional and psychological trauma suffered during this phase and is not just about what happened during labour and the birth but also about how the mother is left feeling afterwards.

Why is it important to speak about birth trauma?

A distressing labour experience can leave the mother feeling overwhelmed. This can translate to a long term psychological condition like Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) or Postpartum Depression. It can result in flashbacks, anxiety, being on the alert always, avoiding triggers that remind the trauma. It is very important therefore to ensure how the experience has left the mother feeling later and to give her all the support required for her to ‘heal’ from the damage because it can become difficult for the mother to bond with the baby.

Women who undergo birth trauma don’t find much support because others may find it difficult to understand this, even other mothers. This can make sufferers lonely and depressed and guilty as a result. It is important to create awareness, have conversations, safe spaces and support groups where women feel welcome to talk about their experiences without being dissed or dismissed.

“All women need access to antenatal care in pregnancy, skilled care during childbirth, and care and support in the weeks after childbirth. All births should be assisted by skilled health professionals, as timely management and treatment can make the difference between life and death for both the mother and the baby.” – UNICEF India

How can we ensure a safe and comfortable birthing experience?

Education

Knowing what pregnancy encompasses and how births take place prepares a mother for what’s to come and the entire process so she is ready. Talking to the gynecologist or a birthing consultant/doula/counselor can help understand the process better and help her

Awareness

Awareness of birthing options is a right that every woman should have access to. Safe, painful, and easy delivery is the right of every woman. Understanding natural vaginal birth, underwater birth, cesarean section, epidurals, and the pros and cons of each can help the mother to decide what she feels most comfortable with.

Support

Every woman needs to have a supportive doctor/doula, partner and family to help her make the choice of birth that she wants to go in for. Respecting her options and making her comfortable should be utmost for the caregivers instead of belittling her or criticizing her choices saying how she is overthinking the whole thing or how all women give birth every minute and it’s the most natural thing, and dismissing her fears as not being valid, is not the kind of support system or caregivers that she needs to be surrounded with at this very important phase of her life.

Having a trustworthy partner/caregiver (can be a friend, family, relative) by the side during labour can help ease the trauma in the labour room and should be discussed and decided beforehand, as many hospitals still don’t allow that in India.

Choice of medical professional

Choosing the right doctor and birthing facility is of utmost importance. If your doctor is rushing through your appointments, dismissing your questions as being too silly, won’t take out the time to educate you about the whole pregnancy and birthing process, does not ask you for your birthing options, does not respect your discomfort during physical examinations, violates the comfort zone with your body, then you need to rethink your options.

Most times, the kind of medical consultants are responsible for the kind of experience they provide in the labour room and that stays for life, affecting you mentally with future birth experiences too. How a doctor makes you feel during your labour and their patience levels will stay with you for life. So do not compromise on that experience. Medical complications that may arise during labour may not always be controlled but how that will be dealt with is a choice that can be made beforehand.

A positive birthing experience is the right of every woman.

Today, birthing centers, birthing courses, birthing options are slowly being made available but all women may not have privilege and access to the same. Just because childbirth is the most common or natural thing does not mean that a woman has to go through a birth trauma experience for the same. Respecting and caring well for a woman during this time will make sure that the whole family is benefited from it because a mother cannot ‘give’ if she is emotionally disturbed or physically depleted of care and nourishment.

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Birthing a baby is the most natural thing as all mammals can give birth naturally including humans. Many people don’t want to take any chances or risks to the mother or baby during pregnancy or delivery and often opt for the best OBGYN and medical facility to birth.

However, some woke couples are opting for a natural birth experience with a more positive, casual, and homely environment to reduce the birth trauma and also avoid unwanted medications. Birth experiences are not easy either. But a lot depends on how the mother has prepared herself for the experience. Recognizing this demand and void, many birthing centers have sprung up to give a homely yet medically sound birthing experience for to-be-parents.

Being a doctor herself, when Rohini Rau and her husband, Krishnakumar conceived their first child, she knew that she did not want a hospital-like experience for her during birth. Even in the face of a pandemic they had planned the pregnancy in the way they wanted. Having come across the midwifery concept a few years back through her friend’s birthing experience at Birthvillage Natural Birthing Center, Rohini was sure that when her turn came, a natural birth experience was what she would opt for.

Dr. Rohini Rau, is also an international sailor and has represented the country at the Olympics. Last year her team had secured 4th place in an international sailing competition after a sabbatical of 7 years. She is also a TED Fellow & TEDX speaker.

When the time came, the couple travelled all the way to Kochi, from Chennai. Also with the pandemic around they were sure that delivering a baby at the hospital was not an idea they were looking forward to. Rohini has worked both in government and private sector hospitals and knows the approach that doctors have towards child births. They are prepared for the worst and at times whether its required or not, the expecting mother is subjected to various Medicines, IVs and procedures that are uncalled for. The midwifery approach is very different. The entire focus is on making the expectant mother comfortable during the labour and ensuring safety of the baby at the same time. But hospitals seldom take the non-conventional approach and depend largely on medical procedures.

Taking to social media, Rohini shared her birth experience:

My Birth story (an excerpt)

At 4 am I started having a slight blood-stained vaginal discharge (bloody show) which became a lot more profuse as the day progressed. KK and I kept active between the contractions – we danced, we walked, we listened to music. The contractions slowly became a little more painful and got stronger around 5.30 pm. I was in touch with our midwife @priyankaidicula over the phone who also told us that it could happen today or in a few days.

During the contractions KK would massage my back and was just an amazing birth support partner. Our bags were already packed. I didn’t seem to want to sit or lie down, I was walking the entire time. We were supposed to wait until the contractions got to 5 mins apart and strong.

It was a 20-minute drive – we left the hotel at 11.45 pm and reached around 12 am. It was a dimly lit room with lanterns – Priyanka and 2 other nurses were there Anne and Smitha. Priyanka checked my cervical dilatation and said we were at 8 cm. She then said that the baby was ready, she has done all she can and now it’s just up to me.

The next few hours KK massaged and compressed my lower back during the contractions, which were now quite regular lasting a few minutes. He also played an 80s essential playlist to set the mood. I started with standing, walking, semi lying down, lying on my side and pulling my knees up during the contractions. Then I was on the floor kneeling with my arms and head on the pillow/bed.

I entered a trance-like state (Pregnancy Trance) where I was able to hear everything but wasn’t able to respond consciously. It’s almost like your body gets you into ‘high’ flushing your body with hormones to help you cope.

Priyanka kept mentioning that I had to let go and breathe in deep and let it go all the way to the bottom fully. I had brief moments where I did feel something happen. But my back was excruciating and the abdominal pain was intense as well.

I remember screaming out to KK ‘Back!!’ So that he would press my back. There was one contraction where I spent the entire time saying ‘Nooo’. And that I can’t!

Then it came to the final stages – Priyanka said I needed to walk and then when the contractions happened I had to squat with KK behind me and my arms on his arms and knees. Everything was such a blur! I remember at one point I was standing during a contraction and my water broke right there on our feet.

This was about 30 mins before the final push. After this point, there was a transition when the pain from my abdomen and back transitioned to a bearing down push. It was unreal how that happened. Just when I thought I was going to give up as the pain was a lot and I guess I was exhausted, the words of encouragement really helped.

Priyanka said that the baby is almost here and that I needed to do this! And with that final push in a semi-squat position, she gushed out like a cannonball! And Priyanka caught her even though she was slippery and so close to the ground. I remember coming to that point! Until then I had my eyes closed and was in my trance.

She was put on my tummy, she now had to make her crawl up to breastfeed. The placenta had to be delivered as well. The cord was still connected. About 20 mins later, the placenta was delivered and she was still connected to the cord & placenta for about an hour. KK cut the cord and Atiya had her first feed. I needed 3 stitches as there was a tear on my perineum. But it wasn’t as painful as I thought it would be. We then had a long well deserved sleep for a few hours, Atiya’s weight and vitals were checked. I was given a hot bath which was so lovely! Then we had breakfast and went to our temporary home (Hotel Novotel Kochi Infopark) at 12 pm on the same day.

The entire post can be read here.

Do you have an interesting birth story? Did you have a supportive partner? Share your experience with us in the comments.