Birth Injuries & Birth Trauma

A Womans Health Guide To:

What is Birth Trauma?

Birth trauma can cover some aspects of a Post Traumatic Stress Disorder if an event occurs before, during or after childbirth that is considered traumatic for the mother. This could involve events involving the care of the mother or the baby sustaining a birth injury during delivery. Different women react differently to certain situations, so a typical event may envoke a different reactions and severity of cases as a result of birth trauma.

Examples of Birth Injuries & Traumas

Pain relief during childbirth was inadequate
Emergency deliveries (eg emergency cesarean section)
Lack of privacy
The attitude or actions of staff attending to you or your baby was unpleasant
Rough handling of your baby (eg dropping or bumping the baby, birth brain injury)
Mother is made to feel guilty (eg when breastfeeding doesn't work)

Birth Injury Prevention - things that could have helped

Anaesthetic / epidurals administered sufficiently and successfully
Having a member of staff support your needs rather than the doctor's
Know your risks (your medical history and the things that can happen)
Make sure the hospital has adequate facilities and the medical staff are qualified to perform any emergency operations that may be required
Check that the hospital has the capability to offer support if there are newborns in distress

The worst thing about birth injuries

The worst thing about birth injuries is that they are completely preventable. There are many cases now dealing with medical negligence and Birth Injury Lawyers and lawsuits are becoming more commonplace.

When you are dealing with people's lives, there is no room for negligence.

Birth Injury Case Study: Carter

This is a heart wrenching video of a completely preventable situation that has forever impacted on baby Carter's life and his parents.

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A Womans Health Guide To: