Birth

Birth Trauma Awareness Week prompted many important conversations this July, and it's a reminder that for many parents, the effects of birth trauma can last long after the birth itself.

Let’s be honest: Birth isn't always the empowering, beautiful journey people like to post about. For many, it is one of the most frightening experiences of their lives.

If you’ve been told to "just move on" because your body has healed and your baby is fine, you know exactly how heavy that silence feels.

But here is the truth: Your trauma isn’t defined by a medical chart or what a doctor wrote in your notes. It is defined by how you experienced it.

The Dual Reality 

We need to stop acting like you can only feel one thing at a time. You can love your baby deeply and still grieve your birth experience. You can be grateful that you are both alive and still be completely traumatised by how you got there. Both of these things can be true at the same time.

Trauma Doesn’t Have an Expiry Date 

Whether your child was born six weeks ago or sixteen years ago, if you are still replaying those moments or questioning if your feelings are valid, then your experience still matters.

Physical recovery does not mean your mind and nervous system have "moved on".

Trauma stays in the body long after the stitches have dissolved.

You Don't Have to Carry This Quietly 

I know this because I’ve lived it, not just because I’m a counsellor. I spent a long time thinking I should just be grateful and stay quiet. I was wrong. You don’t have to minimise what happened to you just because the outcome was a healthy baby.

If this sounds like you—or someone you know who is still "holding it together" while drowning in the memory of their birth experience—know that even one conversation can make you feel lighter. Our birth stories deserve to be heard, not dismissed.

Let’s talk.

You can find me at New Farm Wellness Centre or Family Doctors Plus in Windsor.

You deserve to feel supported, too.

• In-clinic sessions

• Walk & Talk or In-home sessions

• Telehealth sessions available