Birth Experience Townsville Photographer
Did you know that 1 in 3 women have experienced birth trauma? And 1 in 10 women develop PND?
Birth is not supposed to be a traumatic event, but for many of us, it is. Everyone has a unique experience and what may be traumatic for one, may not be for someone else.
I feel like we don’t speak about it enough and know that there’s a lot of you who can relate to this…
Only a handful of people know that I really struggled after having Liam, which resulted in PND. It’s only now (6 months pp) that I’m seeking help and opening up about what actually happened.
So here it is…
My birth left me feeling disappointed, disconnected, helpless and confused.
While I knew parenthood would come with many struggles and be a huge adjustment, I did not enjoy the process and newborn stage at all.
One thing led to another (after the delivery) and Liam developed colic/reflux (something I had never even heard about).
We saw multiple doctors who couldn’t help us more outside of what we were already doing and and still, nothing helped, it was incredibly HARD.
There were no sweet newborn cuddles and we found ourselves settling our baby, all day, every day. Because he was so uncomfortable and overtired too, he was only sleeping for half the recommended time for his age (not even an exaggeration).
So you can imagine just how tired/exhausted we were… Sleep school didn’t help either, it purely came down to his medical issues.
I know I shouldn’t have compared my journey to everyone else’s but when I started connecting with other mums, I felt even more alone in my experience and completely shut down, avoiding everyone to save myself the pain/embarrassment.
Birth trauma for me was:
- A prolonged
labour - The feeling when Liam turned into a posterior position and became stuck
- Multiple failed epidurals
- 3-hour emergency C-section and the kneading of my stomach in the weeks to follow to ensure uterine shrinkage
Haemorrhage during surgery- Having a blood transfusion
- Not being able to hold/touch my baby after delivery
- Being left alone during surgery when Craig and Liam went to NICU
- Having to leave my baby in NICU and go home
- Unsuccessful breastfeeding journey and nipple trauma due to pumping
- Lack of professional support during and after birth
If you don’t feel like yourself anymore, seek help. I was encouraged to do so in the beginning but didn’t. The earlier you reach out, the sooner you can move on and feel confident with your journey.
Don’t compare.
The biggest thing I have learned is to not compare your birth, baby, and story to another. Some people may have it easier than you, and some harder. Either way, it’s important to go with your gut (always), you know your body and baby best.
I was going to write a really nice post to go with this photo with my little man but felt like it was time to be honest. What you see online, is not a representation of someone’s life.
I can’t thank you enough for your support and for reading this. It means the world.
Leave a comment if you can relate or have a story to share ♥️ I’d love to hear from you.
Jodi x
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