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Childbirth

Share experiences and get support around labour, birth and recovery.

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Original poster

What to do for severe birth trauma????

21 replies

CaptainDippy · 09/03/2006 23:20

A friend of a friend has recently (like last week!!) experienced an extremely traumatic birth (allergic reations to drugs, failed C-Section attempt, baby "yanked out" by forceps, loads of stiches, uterus infection, finding breast feeding hard etc etc etc) and is now having horrific nightmares about the whole thing. I was just wondering if there was anyone out there who has experienced something smiliar (traumatic birth followed by nightmares) and could offer some advice / support - or if anyone knew where she could look to start getting some help??

Thank you for your time!!

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ghosty · 09/03/2006 23:48

Hi CapatainDippy ...
I am sorry your friend had such a terrible time.
It is becoming more widely accepted that many women diagnosed with Post Natal Depression are really suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome if they had a particularly traumatic birth experience. I only discovered this when I was pregnant with my second child and was terrified of having PND again. After telling the story of the birth of my son (and events in the first 6 weeks of his life) my fantastic midwife suggested that I may have had PTSS rather than PND. She put me in touch with \link{http://www.tabs.org.nz\the trauma and birth stress website} which was really helpful to me and helped me prepare for the birth of my DD.
The fact that I didn't even have a weepy day after the (very gentle and untraumatic) birth of my DD confirmed to me that I had PTSS after PND .... as PND is more likely to happen again if you have had it once (although there are loads of mums out there who had PND with only one of their children too)
Anyway, your friend should see her doctor ... possibly look at antidepressants for a while to keep her on an even keel (I took ADs and they certainly helped on that front). I would also recommend counselling so that she can start to make sense of her experience ....
Hope this helps a bit ....

Original poster

CaptainDippy · 09/03/2006 23:52

Thank you soooooo much ghosty - that's just wonderful, the website is ace (how 80's!) - I will pass on all your info to my friend. Brilliant. Thank you!

OP posts:

WickedViperWitch · 09/03/2006 23:56

\link{http://www.birthtraumaassociation.org.uk/\here's the UK one too}

Original poster

CaptainDippy · 09/03/2006 23:59

Thank you WVW!!

OP posts:

ghosty · 10/03/2006 00:09

No problem CaptainDippy ... it is rather '80s isn't it? But was very helpful to me. I forgot to mention that it is an NZ based site ... I believe it was the first of its kind and NZ was one of the first countries to really look at the connection between birth trauma and PTSS ...
Fab that the UK has a BT association now too (good on you WWW to post the link )... I didn't know there was a UK one ... there wasn't one when I was pg with DD (DD was born early 2004 which is when the UK site was set up)
Anyway ... hope your friend feels better soon

zippy539 · 10/03/2006 00:12

Another vote for the birth trauma association. Your friend needs to get help as soon as she feels able - the sooner she can see someone the sooner she can begin to enjoy her baby. The nightmares are a classic symptom of post traumatic stress.

Don't let anyone fobb her off, hopefully she'll get a sympathetic HV/GP but if she doesn't she's got to keep hunting till she does (or maybe you can on her behalf :) )

Sorry she's had to go through this and hope that she gets the help she needs quickly.

Original poster

CaptainDippy · 10/03/2006 09:06

Thank you everyone - emailed the info to my friend today and she is looking into it!! Please keep posting if there's nayone else out there who can offer some advice!!

OP posts:

TearsBeforeBedtime · 10/03/2006 09:09

sorry your friend has had such a rotten experience. If she is still under the midwife, I think if I was her I would be tempted to photocopy the notes she has at her home for the midwife, in case they contain anything that might be useful/informative at a later date.

www.babycentre.co.uk has a bulletin board called difficult birth debriefing which she might find useful to post on as well if she feels she wants to discuss it online.

Uwila · 10/03/2006 10:25

This sounds terrible.

But.... Can I ask... what's a failed c-section? I mean how does it fail?

RnB · 10/03/2006 10:28

just thinking the same thing Uwila. sounds pretty horrific poor woman

Enid · 10/03/2006 10:28

my local hospital has an initiative where you can discuss issues around your birth with a supportive midwife. This applies to all births within the last 10 years.

Could she see if the hospital runs anything like that?

Original poster

CaptainDippy · 10/03/2006 10:46

Hi - Thank you for more posts - hope that her local hospital runs an initative like that, Enid - That would be good (although I think that she is all hospitaled out at the moment and wouldn't set foot in the place for at least another 10 years!!!)

Her C-Section failed because she had a massive reaction to the anaesthetic and epidural they tried to give her and they couldn't perform the op - so she had to give birth "naturally" in the operating theatre instead - Absolutely horrendous, I am just so thankful that neither of them died.

OP posts:

Uwila · 10/03/2006 10:53

Blimey. I'd be looking for answers, not counselling.... and then I'd be looking for counselling.

I may be a big sinic (okay I'm definitely a big sinic) but I would expect that hospital to spend mor time covering it's arse than giving honest answers.

Wow... how horrible. Is the baby okay?

Original poster

CaptainDippy · 10/03/2006 10:58

Baby is fine - a lovely wee thing called Jamie David. 7lb 3oz and doing well at home. (They told her he was going to massive!!)

OP posts:

Uwila · 10/03/2006 11:11

Ah yes, those sizing scans are not very accurate.

Uwila · 10/03/2006 11:12

Does she still have her medical notes? If so she should make a copy. She may want them when/if she has another. It all comes back when you are about to have your second.

Bugsy2 · 10/03/2006 11:32

I had almost the exact same experience as your friend & suffered from post traumatic stress disorder for 11 months afterwards (waking & sleeping nightmares, would break into a sweat if I had to talk about it & start shivering etc). Was easily sorted with a few sessions with a psychiatrist who specialises in PTSD treatment.
I was referred by my GP.
She should tell everyone how upset she is and not be palmed off by any well-meaning people saying "oh, well its over now & you've got a lovely baby". You need to talk about it & get your self through the anger, grief or whatever else you might be feeling - its really important.

krabbiepatty · 10/03/2006 11:36

How awful, CaptainDippy. The thing that helped my sister was cognitve behavioural therapy from a psychiatrist. The NHS was useless and she had to pay privately but it was brilliant and worked very qucikly after a year of misery, panic attacks, agorophobia etc...

zippy539 · 10/03/2006 23:57

Def get a copy of the notes - it should be easier at to arrange at this stage than further down the line. Even if your friend thinks she doesn't want them, at some stage she almost definitely will - or they will be helpful to someone giving her counselling.

jabberwocky · 11/03/2006 03:26

Another one with birth trauma here. Finding a therapist who did cognitive behavior therapy was key for me. I also participated in a study on birth trauma which forced me to write everything down. That was very helpful, although it was 2 years before I worked up the courage to do it. I think being there for your friend for her to talk about it and not feel like she is just going on and on about it is helpful IYKWIM. I got the feeling everyone thought it was time for me to just "get over it" and that was hard to deal with, as I didn't feel that I could ever get over it.

BettySpaghetti · 11/03/2006 08:37

Just to add that I've heard that cranial osteopathy is often recommended for babies that have had a traumatic birth and seem to be affected by it.
A very good friend of mine had a traumatic birth and her little boy was very fractious and unsettled until he had Cranial Ost.

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