Do I have postpartum PTSD?
new mom with postpartum PTSD
Do I have postpartum PTSD?
Trigger warning: postpartum PTSD, childbirth PTSD, reproductive trauma content
If you’re a new mom or a relatively new parent and your birth experience was anything but blissful, you may find yourself wondering, “do I have postpartum PTSD?”
While you may be secretly judging yourself for overreacting or for not handling things well, I’m here to share some insight about what might constitute postpartum PTSD, from a trauma therapist’s perspective. First off, you are not to blame, and you’ve come to the right place for more resources on how to heal if you worry you’re struggling with postpartum PTSD.
I’m Leah, and I practice EMDR therapy and I’m also trained in perinatal mental health. This blog post seeks to help to explain postpartum PTSD as well as what can be helpful in recovering from it.
What is postpartum PTSD?
Postpartum PTSD can be directly related to a difficult or traumatic birth experience in which you feared for your well-being or that of your baby or in which you felt isolated or alone. Some women talk about how during their experience, their physical or emotional needs did not matter. Though birth trauma is commonly thought of as being related to physical difficulties in the labor and delivery process, which is of course hugely valid, many women also discuss their trauma related to childbirth as a time during which they felt scared and alone, emotionally isolated or overlooked. Combined with being in a very vulnerable physical state, the emotional isolation that one can experience during and after giving birth can contribute to postpartum PTSD.
Postpartum PTSD can manifest in unpleasant memories or physical sensations, flashbacks, bad dreams or even negative beliefs about oneself or one’s capability of being a mother. Postpartum PTSD can contribute to difficulty sleeping, distractedness or a lack of desire to be too close to one’s baby, or conversely, postpartum PTSD can make some women feel overly worried to allow others to help with the baby, not allowing baby to be held or cared for by anyone else, something that can contribute to one developing postpartum depression or postpartum anxiety.
Additional risk factors for postpartum PTSD or reproductive medical trauma
Postpartum PTSD can be especially complicated if one’s birth experience involved a c-section, as surgery, by its nature, involves anesthesia which can result in one feeling cut off from or not inhabiting their own body, causing sensations that are confusing, unpleasant, and sometimes scary. Though not every c-section is traumatic, the medical trauma of an emergency c-section can result in a person feeling disconnected from their own body. In cases like this, somatic therapy after birth can be very helpful in relearning how to feel connected to and safe in one’s body.
In the weeks after giving birth, postpartum PTSD can also stem from difficult transitions into life as a parent or when breastfeeding is difficult, painful, or especially stressful. If one did not have actual childbirth PTSD, postpartum PTSD can develop from the series of “little traumas” that are inherent to the tenuous first few weeks at home which can be very stressful for a mother and her partner, regardless of whether or not an actual traumatic birth experience occurred.
What can help with postpartum PTSD?
One of the first steps on the path to recovery from postpartum PTSD is to find ways to safely reconnect with your body in a way that feels nourishing, fulfilling, and comforting.
This can start with something as small as showering and taking the time to apply lotion to your body, reconnecting with how it feels to sense into your physical being in the comfort of your own home. Somatic therapy can give you additional tools to re-acquaint yourself with the “felt sense” of what it feels like you be in your body, encouraging this connection little by little.
“EMDR therapy can be an excellent choice to recover from postpartum PTSD and is receiving media attention as a solid intervention for reproductive medical trauma.”
EMDR therapy for postpartum PTSD
Recently highlighted in a Marie Claire article about reproductive health trauma, EMDR therapy can help you safely process childbirth PTSD so that, hopefully, it does not grow to become full-blown postpartum PTSD which can result in a longer recovery period. This article outlines a variety of women’s experiences and how EMDR therapy helped them to overcome the memories, flashbacks, thoughts, worries, and fears associated with traumatic birth experiences.
Recognized by both Postpartum Support International and the EMDR International Association as a recommended intervention for postpartum PTSD, EMDR therapy is gaining more and more national attention for its ability to mitigate the long-term effects of trauma by “de-sensitizing” the charged memories or sensations that a person may have while experiencing postpartum PTSD so that they can learn to face the memories or experience thoughts of the childbirth experience without feeling as triggered or activated by the memory.
An additionally useful part of choosing EMDR therapy to help with postpartum PTSD is that, if one chooses to become pregnant again and has fears about the labor and delivery process or the postpartum period, EMDR therapy can help one visualize what a different birth experience could look like. Women with fears about childbirth that are based on a previous experience that was traumatic, painful, or frightening may wish to consider EMDR therapy so that they can confidently and safely feel embodied in subsequent birth experiences.
Another reason that one may wish to choose EMDR therapy for postpartum PTSD is that it is a non-medical intervention in that EMDR relies on the person to resource and heal from within the brain/body connection. Though there are times when medication is absolutely necessary, EMDR therapy is a non-medicinal way to approach postpartum PTSD, should one be concerned about adding medication during the postpartum period. However, in cases of postpartum depression or postpartum anxiety, it is the position of Postpartum Support International that a healthy, well-slept, and mentally stable mom is what most benefits both mother and baby, and if medication is indicated, this is absolutely a solid choice.
By using a thoughtful combination of somatic therapy and EMDR therapy, I help women recover from the postpartum PTSD that can be the result of childbirth trauma or the trauma that can come in the postpartum period if one struggles with postpartum depression or postpartum anxiety. The transition to parenthood is difficult enough alone; if you worry that you’re suffering from postpartum PTSD, don’t hesitate to reach out for the support that you deserve. I offer online EMDR therapy in Maryland and online EMDR therapy in Pennsylvania to women looking for a perinatal mental health provider.
Resources about EMDR therapy and postpartum PTSD:
https://www.emdria.org/blog/emdr-therapy-for-perinatal-mental-health/
https://www.marieclaire.com/culture/emdr-reproductive-health-trauma/
About The Author
Leah Rockwell, LPC, LCPC is a mother and licensed professional counselor in Pennsylvania and Maryland. She provides online counseling for women struggling with the demands and burnout of motherhood. She is passionate about helping moms navigate the overwhelm associated with postpartum emotions, divorce, co-parenting, and career or creative dreams that feel beyond their reach. Leah is a respected expert and frequent contributor to wellness media outlets such as Women’s Health, Glamour, Livestrong, Bustle, Pop Sugar, and Entrepreneur to name a few.
