Experience of trauma during labour and delivery

Experience of trauma during labour and delivery
When labour and delivery are experienced as traumatic this can affect the initial
interaction between mother and infant, particularly if the baby becomes
associated with trauma and pain in the mother’s mind. Women with a past
history of trauma or abuse are at risk of having these feelings and experiences
reactivated during labour and birth if they are not adequately supported
emotionally and provided with the pain relief that they require and request. Also, when interventions, for example, rupture of membranes or epidural anaesthetic,
occur without a sense of adequate information or time to consent, this can be a disempowering experience, leaving a woman feeling cheated or angry.
Most women benefit from the opportunity to talk about their labour after
having a baby, and one function of this is to assist the woman to psychologically process and begin to make sense of what has occurred for her in the hours prior
to meeting her baby for the first time. Mothers often have this chance in new
parent groups and in meetings with early childhood staff. There are fewer
opportunities for partners to talk through these experiences. Partners also may
be traumatised after attending their baby’s delivery. The most common difficulty
is a feeling of helplessness or anxiety about their partner during labour and
delivery, especially when unanticipated interventions such as caesareans have occurred .