What is Perinatal Violence?
I created this page to not only support and offer a voice to birth trauma families, but also in hopes to eventually introduce legislation to my local government and across our nation to outlaw something that seems to become more and more prevalent as each year passes: Perinatal Violence. Perinatal Violence would be take into account violent acts against the mother by her birthing professionals starting shortly before birth up to a few weeks thereafter. Perinatal is a much better term for those of us in countries where the midwifery practice is an active and vital role in our birthing environments. Recently, Venezuela passed an "Obstetric Violence" law which made illegal the following:
(1) Untimely and ineffective attention of obstetric emergencies;
(2) Forcing the woman to give birth in a supine position, with legs raised, when the necessary means to perform a vertical delivery are available;
(3) Impeding the early attachment of the child with his/her mother without a medical cause thus preventing the early attachment and blocking the possibility of holding, nursing or breast-feeding immediately after birth;
(4) Altering the natural process of low-risk delivery by using acceleration techniques, without obtaining voluntary, expressed and informed consent of the woman;
(5) Performing delivery via cesarean section, when natural childbirth is possible, without obtaining voluntary, expressed, and informed consent from the woman.
For more info on their law at The Unnecesarean, click here!
What a concept. Sadly, there is nothing currently in the United States legal system for any of these situations. At this point in time, we have no voice against these infractions. No standing ground! Were you violated during the birth of your child? Your doctor must have been performing a life-saving measure, you'll have to suck it up and get over it. That's what I've heard time and time again after explaining my own birth trauma story in hopes of seeing something done. In reality, non-consensual membrane sweeps, unwanted vaginal exams, pushing a laboring woman to take drugs she doesn't need or want, all of these things CAN be avoided and in most situations, aren't life or death! Checking a moms cervix right before baby arrives is probably not a life saving measure. But that's what we hear over and over again.
So what can we do? Individually, there are many things you can do to see that you are heard. We'll get into those steps later. Collectively as a whole, we need to create change. We need to introduce legislation to our state's and the nation like what Venezuela has done. I would love to see other non-consensual issues added to the legislation such as unwanted vaginal exams. This goes beyond medical licensing issues and malpractice; this ventures into making these offenses illegal.
We need to get into the mind-frame that even in childbirth, this is still our own body. We still deserve respect, dignity and if we say NO, it means NO!
(1) Untimely and ineffective attention of obstetric emergencies;
(2) Forcing the woman to give birth in a supine position, with legs raised, when the necessary means to perform a vertical delivery are available;
(3) Impeding the early attachment of the child with his/her mother without a medical cause thus preventing the early attachment and blocking the possibility of holding, nursing or breast-feeding immediately after birth;
(4) Altering the natural process of low-risk delivery by using acceleration techniques, without obtaining voluntary, expressed and informed consent of the woman;
(5) Performing delivery via cesarean section, when natural childbirth is possible, without obtaining voluntary, expressed, and informed consent from the woman.
For more info on their law at The Unnecesarean, click here!
What a concept. Sadly, there is nothing currently in the United States legal system for any of these situations. At this point in time, we have no voice against these infractions. No standing ground! Were you violated during the birth of your child? Your doctor must have been performing a life-saving measure, you'll have to suck it up and get over it. That's what I've heard time and time again after explaining my own birth trauma story in hopes of seeing something done. In reality, non-consensual membrane sweeps, unwanted vaginal exams, pushing a laboring woman to take drugs she doesn't need or want, all of these things CAN be avoided and in most situations, aren't life or death! Checking a moms cervix right before baby arrives is probably not a life saving measure. But that's what we hear over and over again.
So what can we do? Individually, there are many things you can do to see that you are heard. We'll get into those steps later. Collectively as a whole, we need to create change. We need to introduce legislation to our state's and the nation like what Venezuela has done. I would love to see other non-consensual issues added to the legislation such as unwanted vaginal exams. This goes beyond medical licensing issues and malpractice; this ventures into making these offenses illegal.
We need to get into the mind-frame that even in childbirth, this is still our own body. We still deserve respect, dignity and if we say NO, it means NO!
What is Birth Trauma?
Perhaps you have reached Momma Trauma by chance, or through the sharing of a friend (thanks friend!), or perhaps you have experienced Birth Trauma yourself. Wherever you are in your journey of life, "Birth Trauma" is now in your mind. So what is it, exactly?
The Birth Trauma Association tells us it is something which occurs in a mother when she gets PTSD, or Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, or at least some of its symptoms after childbirth.
So what does that brief and broad description mean?
Over the next weeks and months to come, Momma Trauma will answer these questions and many more. Birth Trauma is a term used when a mother feels, well, traumatized from her childbirth experience. Something happened during her experience to set off bad vibrations in her, bad enough to create immense emotional dealings within herself. We're not talking common baby blues, or an euphoric momma who's elated every time her bundle of joy coo's. When we say Birth Trauma, we are talking about a myriad of emotions, triggers, problems, bad memories, flashbacks, trouble sleeping or eating, depression... Birth Trauma affects each person differently, and it's not just the mothers! This could affect the father, partner, birth attendants, etc. Every persons' experience with Birth Trauma will be different.
Why would a mother get PTSD from childbirth of all things? Baby is healthy, Momma is healthy, what's the problem?
First off, let me begin this question with this: That has to be one of the worst things you can say to a Birth Trauma family. The problem is that emotions are important and can really take over your life when you least expect them to do so. We'll get into that "everyone is healthy" statement at another time. Back to the question at hand: Why would a mother get PTSD from childbirth? Birth Trauma is not something every family experiences, and I'd venture to say not even most families experience Birth Trauma. But for those of us who have had the misfortune of dealing with PTSD from childbirth, the reasons vary by the hundreds. The important thing to remember is that PTSD and Birth Trauma are very real and we need to be open and willing to support families who are going through these situations in their lives.
Ultimately, Birth Trauma is relative. A mother could have Birth Trauma that stemmed from having to go through a cesarean delivery when she was expecting a natural birth. It could happen because she was sexually abused earlier in life and childbirth triggered that abuse all over again. There are countless reasons one might have to deal with Birth Trauma. You don't have to agree with them, you may not even understand. What you should understand is that emotions are real. This mother or family dealing with Birth Trauma is dealing with real, raw emotions that they probably cannot control yet.
And they need to know that is okay.
The Birth Trauma Association tells us it is something which occurs in a mother when she gets PTSD, or Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, or at least some of its symptoms after childbirth.
So what does that brief and broad description mean?
Over the next weeks and months to come, Momma Trauma will answer these questions and many more. Birth Trauma is a term used when a mother feels, well, traumatized from her childbirth experience. Something happened during her experience to set off bad vibrations in her, bad enough to create immense emotional dealings within herself. We're not talking common baby blues, or an euphoric momma who's elated every time her bundle of joy coo's. When we say Birth Trauma, we are talking about a myriad of emotions, triggers, problems, bad memories, flashbacks, trouble sleeping or eating, depression... Birth Trauma affects each person differently, and it's not just the mothers! This could affect the father, partner, birth attendants, etc. Every persons' experience with Birth Trauma will be different.
Why would a mother get PTSD from childbirth of all things? Baby is healthy, Momma is healthy, what's the problem?
First off, let me begin this question with this: That has to be one of the worst things you can say to a Birth Trauma family. The problem is that emotions are important and can really take over your life when you least expect them to do so. We'll get into that "everyone is healthy" statement at another time. Back to the question at hand: Why would a mother get PTSD from childbirth? Birth Trauma is not something every family experiences, and I'd venture to say not even most families experience Birth Trauma. But for those of us who have had the misfortune of dealing with PTSD from childbirth, the reasons vary by the hundreds. The important thing to remember is that PTSD and Birth Trauma are very real and we need to be open and willing to support families who are going through these situations in their lives.
Ultimately, Birth Trauma is relative. A mother could have Birth Trauma that stemmed from having to go through a cesarean delivery when she was expecting a natural birth. It could happen because she was sexually abused earlier in life and childbirth triggered that abuse all over again. There are countless reasons one might have to deal with Birth Trauma. You don't have to agree with them, you may not even understand. What you should understand is that emotions are real. This mother or family dealing with Birth Trauma is dealing with real, raw emotions that they probably cannot control yet.
And they need to know that is okay.