How Informed Choice In Pregnancy & Birth Sets You Up For Success In Parenting

I get it, growing a human is a whole job by itself and it’s hard to think about diving into a pile of books, blogs, and mom groups to figure out everything there is to know about pregnancy and childbirth. It sounds way easier to just go with the flow and trust that your medical provider will be able to lead you down a path that ends in a healthy baby and healthy you.

So, why bother with researching, learning, and planning? In short, being informed and having a birth plan are going to reduce your chances of birth trauma and start your season of parenting strong instead of having a lifelong journey of healing from trauma.

Sound dramatic? Let me explain. Studies have indicated that worldwide 22-68.6% of birth parents were traumatized by their birth. Of these cases, trauma caused issues such as:

• Choosing not to have more children
  
  
• PTSD & postpartum mood disorders
  
  
• Breastfeeding issues
  
  
• Bonding issues
  
• Relationship dysfunction
  
  

Choosing Not To Have More Children

I think we can all agree that if we go through a traumatic event we’re most likely going to do everything we can to avoid that event again. Even if you planned to try for more than one child, the idea of having a repeat from your first pregnancy and birth experience talks you out of it! Luckily, we do have therapists of all varieties ready to help you work through that trauma to hopefully help you move past or live with your fears, but that is not the end. If you want a different birth experience, you’ll want to go about birth preparations differently.

That means:

• Learning what your options are
  
• Knowing how to make informed choices
  
• Making a birth plan a, b & c
  
  

In my upcoming free class, Birth Basics, I will cover these topics and get you on the right track to a healing birth experience. You can check that out here

PTSD & Postpartum Mood Disorders

4% of people who say they were traumatized by their birth experience will also deal with Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Other studies suggest this number could be as high as 17%.

Aside from PTSD, many postpartum people deal with postpartum mood disorders (PPMD) such as depression, anxiety, OCD, rage, and psychosis. According to the MGH Center for Women’s Health, 85% of Women (read: birth parents) will experience some sort of mood disturbance. Of course we know that baby blues is not a technical disorder, but rather a normal part of moving into postpartum, but in 1 in 7 birth parents it lasts long after the initial postpartum period making it a much more serious issue.

The tricky part about statistics for mood disorders is that many people never report feeling off, and therefore are not part of the statistics. It is estimated that 50% of birth parents are not diagnosed by a birth professional.

All this to say, knowing your options and how to communicate your choices with your medical provider can help reduce your chances of suffering PTSD or PPMDs. Of course, nothing is 100%, but being in the driver seat rather than letting the car drive itself is a good start.

Breastfeeding Issues

Breastfeeding can be difficult enough without adding in PTSD or PPMD and processing a difficult labor. Aside from the physical and hormonal difficulties that go along with a complicated labor, healing mentally from an experience that happened to you rather than reflecting on one that you where included in can make all of the difference when it comes to breastfeeding success.

Many birthing parents who experience traumatic birth struggle to find the drive and determination that is needed to have a successful breastfeeding relationship with their baby, and that brings us to the next section…

Bonding Issues

Due to the mood disorders that can result from traumatic birth, many birth parents have a difficult time bonding with their babies. Feeling little to not interest in your baby can come with postpartum depression and can make bonding very difficult.

Having an informed birth and staying in the driver’s seat of decision-making ensures that you go into parenting with that same level of tenacity and ability to stick to your parenting goals no matter the challenge, including bonding.

Sometimes, things happen in childbirth that require you and your baby to be separated, and that can make bonding more of a challenge in the beginning for some. Even if your baby is given to you right after birth, you might find that you are not instantly in love with the, and that can be totally normal! If you stick to it you’ll be deeply connected to your baby in no time!

Conclusion

While childbirth can be unpredictable, it does not have to be traumatic. It can be joyful and healing despite how it goes. Knowing how to make informed choices and have productive conversations with your medical providers is the first step to ensuring that no matter how birth goes, you’ll be ready and in charge.

Join us for Birth Basics April 20 11am-12pm at the Pickaway Chiropractic Center in Circleville, Ohio. Here you'll learn how to make informed choices and how to have productive conversations with your medical provider. Light snacks provided! Below is a button that will take you to the registration page. Registration is not required but it's helpful for us to have an idea of how many folks are coming for food prep and seating purposes.

Register Here