Has anyone else been traumatised by long induction?

[BouncyBabe98]

Hi, I was induced over 2 days prior to delivery of my DC. It was a horrible experience involving being shut up in a small room being monitored every 3 hours for 48 hours then eventually drip as nothing muchhad happened in the 48 hours. I felt so powerless and out of control. I hear so many stories of horrible births. my actual 'labour' when it did eventually come was quick and painfree (epidural) but the run up was awful and long.

when compared to grizzly and painful labours mine was not this. i just felt so helpless and 'managed'.

I don't feel able to 'moan' maybe coz i feel bad about the epidural but i do feel 'traumatized' by the whole experience!

How do i cope with this - is this normal / has anyone else had these feelings after a long induction or am i just being a wuss?!

[TeenageMutantNinjaTurtle]

I don't think you are being a wuss - I think you had a really hideous experience and you're still getting over it.

When did you have your baby? If it was only recently then you might still be in that highly emotional period of ups and downs which should pass in a couple of weeks.

If it was a while ago and you're still struggling with the memories then it might be worth trying to speak to someone at the hospital about what happened so they can talk you through your notes and answer any questions you have.

Congratulations either way on the birth of your baby

[RedToothBrush]

BouncyBabe, this is what the birth trauma association say about who gets traumatised by childbirth.

Who gets Birth Trauma?

Birth trauma is in the eye of the beholder’
Cheryl Beck (Nursing Research January/February 2004 Vol 53, No.1)

It is clear that some women experience events during childbirth (as well as in pregnancy or immediately after birth) that would traumatise any normal person.

For other women, it is not always the sensational or dramatic events that trigger childbirth trauma but other factors such as loss of control, loss of dignity, the hostile or difficult attitudes of the people around them, feelings of not being heard or the absence of informed consent to medical procedures.

Research into the area is limited and, to date, it has largely focused on the importance of the type of delivery. It is clear however, that there are risk factors for Post Natal PTSD which include a very complicated mix of objective (e.g. the type of delivery) and subjective (e.g. feelings of loss of control) factors. They include:

Lengthy labour or short and very painful labour
Induction
Poor pain relief
Feelings of loss of control
High levels of medical intervention
Traumatic or emergency deliveries, e.g. emergency caesarean section
Impersonal treatment or problems with the staff attitudes
Not being listened to
Lack of information or explanation
Lack of privacy and dignity
Fear for baby's safety
Stillbirth
Birth of a damaged baby (a disability resulting from birth trauma)
Baby’s stay in SCBU/NICU
Poor postnatal care
Previous trauma (for example, in childhood, with a previous birth or domestic violence)

In addition, many women who do not have PTSD, suffer from some of the symptoms of PTSD after undergoing difficult birth experiences and this can cause them genuine and long-lasting distress. These women are also in need of support.

So in short, if you feel traumatised then these feelings are perfectly valid and no less than someone who has had a painful or grizzly delivery. Some women who have those kind of deliveries are more able to cope and are less traumatised than those who have had a more 'straightforward' birth, because trauma is very personal and is caused by lots of different factors. You are normal.

Its not a competition where you have to judge your own experience or justify your feelings in comparison to anyone else. All that is important is how you feel about your own experience.

[BouncyBabe98]

Thanks for your posts. TeenageMutuant My gorgeous baby is 8 months old.

I am aware of PTSD after birth and PND etc but I am not sure its either of these as I don't have any 'flashbacks' or 'awful memories' as such I just feel like I want to block the whole lengthy experience out if you know what I mean?

[TeenageMutantNinjaTurtle]

Ok - 8 months is ages.... I think you should speak to your Health Visitor if you have a decent one, or your GP. Have a look through the resources on the Birth Trauma Association page here - www.birthtraumaassociation.org.uk/help.htm

I think there are probably a lot of women that want to block out their births! But if its still on your mind after 8 months then it's probably worth trying to address it. Good luck x

[PrincessBabyCat]

Don't worry, I had a "normal" birth and I still want to block it out. I made the mistake of wanting a mirror to watch the baby come out because I was losing motivation after an hour of pushing with no results (3 hour push yuck). Saw the baby's head burst out like alien (tears and all) and wanted to jump right on the nope train and call it quits right there.

I wouldn't say I'm traumatized per say, but I'm never having another baby either.

I guess at the end of the day, it helps to look at your baby (while they're sleeping lol) to see it was worth it. Just isn't an experience I want to repeat.

[RedToothBrush]

I echo what TeenageMutantNinjaTurtle says. Just because you don't have flashbacks or awful memories, doesn't mean its not a problem. You don't have to have PTSD for it to trouble you. As the BTA point out in quote above you can have some of the symptoms but not be as severe as that, but still need some help and support.

I think the thing is this: If its bothering you and you don't feel like you can move on from it - which is clear from your need to post and talk about it - then you probably need a little support from somewhere to resolve these issues, so you can be more at peace with your experience.

I think its easy to think that you be really badly effected to think you are worthy and in need of that. But the reality is that there is no set level of whats 'bad' and its a sliding spectrum of need which covers a wide range of feelings from the slight to the moderate and to the extreme.

[smearedinfood]

I was induced over a long period of time. DP didn't want to talk about the birth and no body really else knew what to say...I think that was part of the difficulty at first.

I didn't get PND. I bonded with DS easily. But I was very "you be careful with that baby, i spent 36 hours in labour with it and i'm not making another one".

But I'm 36 weeks pregnant with my second so wish me luck. They just get older and more fun and I'm looking forward to sniffing more baby curls and high fives.

I get it, it's shit getting induced but the incredible love you feel for your child just grows.