Birth Trauma
Did your labor or delivery leave you feeling anxious, disappointed, or overwhelmed? Maybe your birth didn’t go as planned, and you’re left with lingering feelings of sadness or regret. Perhaps you experienced complications, felt unsupported by your care team, or found yourself in a situation where you felt powerless or afraid.
Birth trauma can take many forms—whether it was a significant medical event, an emergency, or simply an experience that didn’t match your hopes or expectations. No matter how “big” or “small” your experience may seem to others, your feelings are valid, and you deserve the space to process them.
Are You Struggling to Process Your Birth Experience?
Therapy can help you explore the emotions tied to your birth experience, address any lingering distress, and begin to heal in a way that feels safe and empowering.
Birth trauma isn’t just about medical emergencies—it can stem from any part of the birth experience that felt overwhelming, frightening, or deeply disappointing. Some common contributors to birth trauma include:
- Unexpected complications during labor or delivery.
- Feeling dismissed or unsupported by medical staff or care providers.
- Loss of control or feeling powerless during the birth process.
- Difficult decisions, such as needing to change your birth plan or undergo emergency procedures.
- Unmet expectations, including births that didn’t go as planned or hoped for.
- Lingering physical pain or trauma, like healing from surgery or injury.
- Emotional triggers that have left you feeling anxious, sad, or disconnected.
Birth Trauma Is More Common Than You Might Think
Your birth story matters. Processing it is not about blaming yourself or others—it’s about creating space to honor your emotions, release pain, and move toward healing.
How Therapy Can Help You Heal from Birth Trauma
What Does Therapy Look Like?
Process Your Experience Verbally: Therapy provides a space to share your birth story without judgment. We’ll explore how you felt during labor, the care you received, and any emotions that have lingered since.
Heal Through EMDR: If parts of your experience feel “stuck” or are triggering anxiety, sadness, or fear, Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) can help. EMDR works to reprocess traumatic memories, reducing their emotional intensity and helping you feel more at peace.
Normalize Your Feelings: Many women feel shame or guilt for struggling after a birth, especially if the outcome was medically positive. Therapy helps you understand that your feelings are valid and that healing is a process.
Healing from birth trauma is a journey, but with the right support, you can reclaim your sense of peace and strength.
Address Anxiety and Triggers: If your birth experience has left you feeling anxious or fearful—whether about parenting, future births, or your body—therapy provides tools to manage those emotions.
Rebuild Trust in Yourself: Through self-compassion and reflection, therapy can help you regain confidence in your ability to navigate motherhood.
What Can You Expect from Birth Trauma Therapy?
Explore your birth experience in a safe, nonjudgmental environment.
Reprocess traumatic memories through EMDR to reduce their emotional weight.
Gain tools to manage anxiety, fear, or sadness tied to your birth story.
Reframe your experience with greater understanding and self-compassion.
Find closure and move forward with confidence and peace.
No birth story is too “small” to be processed. Your feelings matter, and therapy can help you find healing, no matter what your journey has looked like.
Browse the FAQs
What if my birth experience doesn’t feel “traumatic enough” for therapy?
What if I feel guilty for being upset when my baby is healthy?
What if my memories of birth feel too overwhelming to revisit?
Birth trauma isn’t defined by the severity of an event—it’s about how the experience felt to you. If you’re feeling anxious, sad, or disconnected after your birth, therapy can provide the space to process those feelings and begin to heal.
What if I don’t have time for therapy as a new mom?
Browse the FAQs
What if my birth experience doesn’t feel “traumatic enough” for therapy?
What if I feel guilty for being upset when my baby is healthy?
What if my memories of birth feel too overwhelming to revisit?
Many moms struggle with guilt for feeling distressed after a “successful” birth. But your feelings don’t take away from your gratitude or love for your baby. Therapy helps you hold space for both your joy and your pain, allowing you to process and heal.
What if I don’t have time for therapy as a new mom?
Browse the FAQs
What if my birth experience doesn’t feel “traumatic enough” for therapy?
What if I feel guilty for being upset when my baby is healthy?
What if my memories of birth feel too overwhelming to revisit?
Processing trauma can feel daunting, but you don’t have to face it all at once. Therapy works at your pace, and approaches like EMDR allow us to address difficult memories safely and effectively, without reliving the pain.
What if I don’t have time for therapy as a new mom?
Browse the FAQs
What if my birth experience doesn’t feel “traumatic enough” for therapy?
What if I feel guilty for being upset when my baby is healthy?
What if my memories of birth feel too overwhelming to revisit?
What if I don’t have time for therapy as a new mom?
We offer fully virtual sessions, so you can access therapy from the comfort of your home. Whether during nap time or after bedtime, we’ll work with your schedule to make therapy as convenient as possible.
Browse the FAQs
What if I’ve tried therapy before and it didn’t help?
What if I’ve always had anxiety and managed it on my own?
What if my anxiety isn’t “bad enough” to need therapy?
I’m not sure I have the time for therapy. How can I fit this into my schedule?
What if my anxiety feels too overwhelming for therapy to help?
There’s no such thing as “too much” for therapy. We specialize in helping women who feel consumed by anxiety, and we’ll meet you exactly where you are to help you take meaningful steps forward. No matter how overwhelming your anxiety feels, therapy can provide a path to relief and a more fulfilling life.
At Harlowe Counseling, we’re passionate about supporting moms through the challenges of birth and postpartum life. Our therapists are trained in Perinatal Mental Health (PMH-C) and specialize in evidence-based approaches like EMDR and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) to help moms heal from birth trauma.
What sets us apart is our compassionate, personalized approach. We know that every birth story is unique, and we’re here to honor your experience while helping you move forward with confidence and strength.
You don’t have to carry the weight of birth trauma alone. With the right support, you can find healing, peace, and a renewed sense of self as you navigate motherhood.
Why Choose Harlowe Counseling?
Ready to Begin Healing from Birth Trauma?
Your birth experience matters, and your feelings are valid. Therapy can provide the support, tools, and healing you need to process your story and move forward with confidence and peace.
Schedule your free consultation today to see how Harlowe Counseling can support you. There’s no obligation—just an opportunity to explore if we’re the right fit for your needs.
