Common perinatal Experiences

Below are some of the common experiences and difficulties which I can support you in overcoming. Trauma is an overarching theme in all of these experiences.

trauma

There is no one definition of trauma, instead it is something that is felt deep within us. Trauma is your body and minds internal response to an external event or stimulus. When you experience something that you perceive as a threat or danger, which makes you feel scared, out of control or distressed, you automatically develop protective responses and reactions to this. These can be physical, psychological and behavioural. Unfortunately, these responses can continue long after the event has ended and this is when it can impact your life on a longer term basis.

Some of the causes of trauma in the perinatal period can include:

Infertility or difficult, long fertility experiences
Hyperemesis Gravidarum (severe pregnancy sickness)
Pregnancy complications
Pregnancy loss including miscarriage, termination for personal or medical reasons, stillbirth, neonatal death
Medical gaslighting, abuse, coercion, poor maternity care experiences
Labour and birth experiences
Physical birth injuries and difficult recovery from birth
Stays in the NICU (neonatal intensive care unit) or your baby being unwell
Feeding experiences and complications
Resurfacing of childhood or previous events such as abuse

perinatal anxiety

Perinatal anxiety is a form of anxiety occuring during pregnancy and /or up to 1 year after birth. It can affect up to 20% of pregnant people and new parents. Anxiety is usually deep rooted in a fear of the future, whereas depression is associated with the past and you may experience symptoms such as panic attacks, increased heart rate, catastrophising thoughts, feeling on edge, excessive worry about the future and a want to control the environment or others.

To support healing, we can discuss:

Understanding anxiety itself as a normal response to difficult situations
The physical, behavioural and environmental contributors to anxiety
Challenging beliefs that keep your anxiety going
The anxiety toolkit: meditation, journaling, relaxation
Supporting calm and peace in your mind

perinatal depression

Perinatal depression is a condition which affects up to 30% of pregnant and new parents. It can cause symptoms such as loss of interest, hopelessness, not being able to cope, crying all the time, anger, excessive anxiety about the baby, panic attacks, sleeplessness, loss of appetite, low mood and these are just a few of the debilitating effects.

It can be difficult to recognise the signs or you may not want to reach out for support due to fear of judgement, guilt or you don't feel you are worthy of support.

I will provide space for your story to be heard and then use a self-compassionate approach to support you in understanding and reframing your thoughts. A self compassionate approach is one where you bring kindness to your thoughts, rather than meeting them with judgement and criticism.

physical birth injury

Experiencing a life changing physical injury during birth is likely to be soul destroying and traumatic, especially when the injury is to the most intimate parts of your body. This can be very upsetting, frustrating and change your relationships with your own body and others. These emotions can be complicated by a difficulty in accessing physical treatment or a lack of understanding from others. As a midwife, I understand medically the potential implications of a birth injury and as an emotional wellbeing practitioner I am experienced in supporting people through the psychological impact.

I can be a listening ear to your experience, whilst supporting you to understand the grief and emotions you may be experiencing as a result of this life changing injury. I can support you to explore how your life is being negatively impacted and we can work on ways to positively promote physical and emotional healing. This may involve the use of TBR 3 step rewind, guided relaxation and hypnosis exercises.

grief and loss

Losing a pregnancy or baby is a traumatic event and it is very natural to feel an indescribable amount of grief. This can be made more difficult with loss being 'the unspoken' or 'the elephant in the room'. You may or may not feel supported at this time to process your emotions. I can support you in a number of ways:

Being a trauma informed listening ear
Helping you to understand your grief and the emotions you are feeling
Guiding you to support any anxiety you may be experiencing at this time, which is a natural part of loss
Introducing relaxation techniques to practically aid your high levels of anxiety
Supporting you in any future pregnancies which may be re-triggering

Grief and loss may also be related to factors which do not include death, such as a loss of identity in motherhood.

infertility & difficult fertility experiences

Infertility and long, difficult fertility experiences are absolutely soul destroying. You may be experiencing feelings of grief and loss, as well as shame, frustration, or even embarrassment to name a few emotions.

Infertility can be all encompassing, leaving little space for you to think about anything else. The desperate longing, anxiety and isolation can be traumatic in itself.

I can support clients during this time by learning to manage anxiety and cope with grief as well as preparing the body and mind for optimal fertility and navigating emotions that arise with pregnancy.