Recovering from Pregnancy & Birth Related Trauma
South Pasadena, CA
PTSD+complex ptsd treatment | EMDR therapy | Pregnancy & Infant loss
Healing from pregnancy loss & trauma
Reproductive Trauma Therapy in South Pasadena, CA
I’m a perinatal mental health therapist, and my therapy practice focuses on reproductive trauma recovery and the treatment of PMADs (perinatal mood and anxiety disorders) including depression, anxiety and PTSD that occur before, during and after pregnancy.
When you’re grieving a loss or feeling traumatized by childbirth, it’s not unusual to be struggling with the lingering feelings of anxiety, anger, and uncertainty, to feel like your body is failing you, or develop fears around pregnancy or childbirth. Trauma can leave deep emotional scars, impacting your self-esteem, relationships, and overall well-being.
You may have gone from hopeful expectations to feeling a deep sense of loss. It’s important to know that you don’t have to suffer with the effects of trauma forever. Reproductive trauma, birth trauma and PTSD are treatable. Getting the right kind of support can help you make meaningful and lasting changes in how you feel and how you move forward.
reproductive trauma therapy
Trauma therapy may be right for you if…
You’re questioning a lot of things about yourself, and feeling like “I don’t know who I am”
You need to address lingering feelings and stress responses connected to a loss or trauma before entering a new pregnancy
You’re still coping with the effects of being pregnant and having a baby during the Pandemic
Unresolved childhood or past trauma has resurfaced as you go through fertility treatment, pregnancy, childbirth or during early parenthood.
You’re feeling indecisive about whether to try to conceive again, and want to make the decision without the element of fear.
You want to feel more present and focused in your parenting, less distracted by intrusive thoughts and fears, less triggered.
How can therapy help you heal unresolved birth trauma?
Greive your losses and process your story (IVF/ART, losses, birth trauma) so that you can talk about your experiences without distress and emotional overwhelm
Overcome avoidance, be able to look at your photos, hear about others’ birth stories, or see babies or pregnant people and not be overwhelmed with painful feelings and memories
Address your fears to prepare for your next pregnancy and childbirth, or another round of fertility treatment with more confidence
Set boundaries that support you and your family at every stage of family building
Cultivate self-compassion for what you’ve been through and the challenges you’re currently facing
Learn coping skills to help you understand and manage your emotions as you navigate fertility, pregnancy and postpartum
Feel more connected to your body, your sense of identity, and the people most important to you
Who I Work With
I work with women, birthing people and parents who’ve experienced traumatic or distressing experiences including:
birth related traumas
fertility challenges
pregnancy loss/miscarriage
high risk pregnancy/medical complications
TFMR
Abortion care
NICU experience
death of an infant/baby loss
postpartum depression, anxiety, and PTSD
childhood trauma and abuse
Complex PTSD
Research shows that EMDR therapy during pregnancy can reduce distress and PTSD symptoms, help diminish fears of childbirth and build confidence about going into labor and delivery.
Common Questions
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EMDR helps to diminish the effects of a traumatic experience, reducing trauma symptoms that can interfere with caring for yourself and your family. EMDR works to provide relief from trauma symptoms including nightmare, flashbacks, depression, intrusive thoughts, and fears.
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Perinatal trauma is any traumatic or disturbing event that occurs around the time of conception, pregnancy, during childbirth and postpartum. Common experiences that families find traumatic including fertility challenges/treatment, pregnancy loss, termination and TFMR, NICU stays, medical complication during pregnancy/postpartum and the death of an infant. But the most important thing determining whether your experience was traumatic? If you feel your experience was traumatic then it was.
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You may have felt scared, helpless or unheard and unseen during labor and delivery. Afterward, it’s common to feel shocked, numb or disconnected, to feel guilty or angry about what you went through. The most important factor determining if giving birth was traumatic is how you feel about it. If you feel your experience was traumatic, then it was.
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EMDR helps to diminish the effects of a traumatic experience, reducing trauma symptoms that can interfere with caring for yourself and your family. EMDR works to provide relief from trauma symptoms including nightmare, flashbacks, depression, intrusive thoughts, and fears.
birth trauma therapy
6 Signs that childbirth was traumatic for you
1 You believed you or your baby were in danger or would die.
2 You can’t remember important details or have blocks of memory that you can’t recall.
3 You felt stripped of your dignity, unsupported, disrespected or violated.
4 You had an “out of body experience", things didn’t seem real, you felt detached from your body or what was happening around you.
5 You felt helpless, terrified, horrified, flooded by fear and anxiety, a lack of control.
6 There was poor communication, things weren’t explained to you, or you had to make critical decisions quickly.
Most importantly, if you feel your experience was traumatic, then it was.
Reaching out for help is a big step.
I want to make the process as comfortable and easy to understand as possible. To get started, just call or email me to schedule your free consultation. I’m looking forward to hearing from you.
