If you have nightmares about your labour....

[pupuce]

This is a topic close to my heart as it is far too common... here is an article just published - maybe it will help some of you.

Thanks Pupuce - this is very interesting. My last birth was quite traumatic - alot of what is written here suddenly makes sense, hopefully I will be better prepared for the next one...

You could also ring Birth Crisis too.... Sheila is LOVELY!

thanks, pupuce. independent midwives for me next time i think.

or doula
Actually at the end of the article she refers to 15 studies that demonstrated the effect of continuous support during labour - these are studies on testing whether having a doula makes a difference or not.
This is the latest review

and it does

Pupuce ... an excellent article! Particularly relevant to me now that I am pregnant. When telling my midwife (who will be with me throughout this pregnancy ... in NZ they put a big emphasis on 'continuity of care' about the traumatic birth of my son followed by a PND diagnosis and 18 months of antidepressants she gave me this website address to look at - Trauma And Birth Stress . It is a fantastic site and it was clear to me that by the criteria listed I had suffered from PTSD ... I had a long chat with the founder of the TABS support group and between her and my midwife I am now in a position to lay the ghost (no pun intended) of DS' birth and get my head around the birth of my next child.
I am even looking forward to it - mainly because I will have the same m/w who knows my history and my fears, who comes to my house for all my antenatal appointments, who will come to my house when I go into labour and who will be with me throughout the labour and birth (in hospital) and will stay assigned to me until my baby is 6 weeks old.
Like I say ... here in NZ the words 'Continuity of Care' keep cropping up ...
Oh ... and also the founder of TABS also told me that she had regular contact with Sheila Kitzinger ...

Meant that to be a bracket ... not a winky smiley!

thanks a lot for those tips - i've just rang Sheila - and yes, she is lovely. Still can't get my head round 2nd VBAC or elective c-section. Hopefully she'll help.

Hi Ghosty,
My NZ midwife was excellent also. It wasn't until I discovered mumsnet I found out there was another way. It's weird at 6 weeks when you never see them again though. The Plunket nurse is just not the same.
Even though I had a great birth I still spent the best part of the first month obsessing about where I might have gone wrong. Reading my medical notes helped me to realise that I'd done really well.
Good luck to you with the Ghostlet.