Birth trauma is distress experienced by a mother during and/or after childbirth. While birth trauma can be physical, it is often emotional and psychological and can have a long-lasting impact on one’s life.

➜ 45% of women feel they had a traumatic birth experience.

➜ 66% of birth trauma survivors name obstetric violence as the biggest contributor to their trauma.

➜ Unprocessed birth trauma can be very triggering. Giving yourself space to process your birth – privately, with a friend, a support group, postpartum doula and/ or therapist who specialises in PTSD from childbirth and birth trauma – can help you move forward.

➜ Your trauma is valid, even if: it took awhile for you to recognize it was a trauma, you can’t remember it clearly, you haven’t told anyone about it, someone didn’t think it was a trauma and/or it doesn’t affect you anymore.