Prevention & Treatment of Traumatic Childbirth - PATTCh

09/03/2024

https://givebutter.com/c/bmQ2nB/auction
This fun auction is live now, please check it out. We have till September 15 to bid on Penny’s collection. 🥰

Support the Simkin Center's Leadership Fund and Own a Treasure from Penny's Private Collection!

07/06/2024

a long read -- and packed with solid information

One member who endured a traumatic birth experience tells how hiking (with her newborn son in tow) helped her overcome postpartum PTSD.

09/09/2023

Sitting before a parliamentary panel in a bare-walled function room of a hotel on the southeastern Australian coast, Naomi Bowden broke down several times as she recounted a series of distressing events after her daughter Stella’s stillbirth in 2009.

08/01/2023

It's World Breastfeeding Week again. I’ve shared this post now three years in a row because it do I’m remains sadly relevant.

This week was designed to protect and support breastfeeding. To highlight why we need to invest in mothers, families, babies and the future. Yet for many, this week sends a chill straight through their core. It makes them want to shout and throw things because breastfeeding certainly isn’t something to celebrate for them.

For far too many women, any mention of breastfeeding reminds them of pain, anxiety & a lack of support. It reminds them of their determination to do what had been promised as simple, enjoyable and the ‘right’ way to feed their baby. Determination which slowly turned to desperation when it didn’t work for them.

It reminds mothers of the heartbreak they felt as they stopped breastfeeding before they were ready – it wasn’t just about the promised health benefits but the feeling that their body wasn’t doing what it was meant to do, and the fact they just really wanted to do it.

But this pain is actually the reason we continue. This week is not about telling everyone they should breastfeed... but more about insisting that those with power step up and actually do something about investing in making a better future for the next generation of women.

At the moment, rather than protecting breastfeeding, the government doesn’t invest properly in the services, support & expertise that would actually enable breastfeeding – despite reports finding it could save the NHS money.

Instead, cuts to services take away volunteer groups and funding of breastfeeding specialists. What should be an easily fixable issue can turn turned into months of physical pain - and a lifetime of continued emotional pain.

The simple truth is that we set women up to fail. Most breastfeeding problems are created by a society that is not breastfeeding friendly: the actions of others are responsible for poor breastfeeding rates & trauma.

This week is about recognising that hurt and calling for change. I wish we didn't have to have it. I certainly wish that not so many women and families were hurt by it.

07/20/2023

Join us at the next PATTCh webinar with Dr. Leslie Butterfield on identifying and healing from a traumatic childbirth.

Subscribe to our newsletter for early access. Refer to our bio for the link.

07/17/2023

This week, July 16-22, is Birth Trauma Awareness Week.

There are so many things to talk about with this, it’s hard to know where to start.

But it feels really important to normalize how hard *birthdays* can be for people who have experienced birth trauma, especially the first birthday.

Many people experience flashbacks, dread, anxiety and grief regarding where they were and what was happening one year ago.

“At this time last year, I was ________.”

While everyone else is expecting them to be the picture of motherly bliss, planning their baby’s first birthday party down to the detail, complete with a cake smash and guests, they are reliving one of the worst days of their life.

Not wanting to celebrate.

Not wanting to see anyone.

📣 This is to let you know that if you didn’t feel up for celebrating your baby’s first birthday because that day is also the one year anniversary of a very painful event for you, that’s okay. This is a trauma response.

💛 You are not a horrible mom/parent.

💛 It doesn’t mean you don’t love your baby, or aren’t grateful for your baby.

💛 You can love your baby AND be really triggered and struggling on this particular day.

💛 You can tell friends & family that you don’t want to see anyone on that specific day, and celebrate your baby on a different day.

💛 You can meet yourself where you are and give yourself space to grieve.

💛 This is SO normal. It’s incredibly difficult & lonely. One day you WILL feel better. But for now take care of yourself.

If this is you, I see you totally. I’ve been there.

How did you handle the first birthday after birth trauma?

07/05/2023

https://www.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=661169469373548&id=100064415032446&mibextid=DcJ9fc

Woman giving birth, with midwife and supporters, Chancay culture, medieval Peru. A woman-made representation.

07/03/2023

BTS: Check out this draft of our Trauma-Informed Care Framework!

It's a work in progress. We see the steps or stages as more integrated, omnidirectional, woven instead of linear as this circular path suggests.

Notice the focus of the framework - it's consumers of perinatal healthcare AND providers of perinatal healthcare.

There's always a parallel learning and application - birth-related trauma affects all of us.

As L&D nurses, we have a unique and profound impact on childbirth outcomes and culture. This is the framework that encourages us to take radical responsibility of our positionality in birth spaces and take continuous, actionable steps toward patient-centered, trauma responsive care ALWAYS.

Anything stand out to you at this point in your career?

Image source: The Birth Nurse, https://lnkd.in/eHcQTZbf

07/03/2023

Come join us with Kathleen Kendall-Tackett on July 19th virtually! Please check our bio for registration details.

In this session, providers will learn specific strategies and resources for recovery and integrating self-care into their care for others.
Dr. Kendall-Tackett is a health psychologist, International Board-Certified Lactation Consultant, and the CEO of Praeclarus Press, a small press specializing in women's health. She specializes in women's health research, including breastfeeding, depression, trauma, and health psychology, and has won many awards for her work.

06/25/2023

Today marks one year since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade—a decision that has had devastating impacts for people across the spectrum of pregnancy.

As an organization committed to eliminating preventable maternal deaths and disparities in maternal health, this is a critical moment for us to reflect on some of the negative maternal health impacts of the Dobbs decision.

Experiences of medical professionals across the country have affirmed what researchers and advocates have long predicted: the maternal health landscape across the country has worsened significantly for mothers and birthing people in the wake of the Dobbs decision.

Just this week, health research nonprofit published the “first nationally representative survey of OBGYNs since the Dobbs ruling”, asking OBGYNs across the country how they believe overturning Roe v. Wade has impacted maternal health. The survey found:

-64% of OBGYNs believe the Dobbs decision has worsened pregnancy-related mortality
-68% of OBGYNs believe the Dobbs ruling has worsened their ability to manage pregnancy-related emergencies
-70% of OBGYNs believe the Dobbs decision has worsened racial and ethnic inequities in maternal health.

Bans and restrictions on abortion constrain providers from offering person-centered, evidence-based care and force people to carry their pregnancies to term, increasing their risk of maternal death and complications.

EMC will continue to work alongside our partners in the fight for human rights, equity, and birth justice to ensure that all pregnant people have access to the options and conditions they need to make the reproductive health decisions that are best for themselves and their families, free from stigma or fear.