Birth Trauma Awareness Week aims to raise awareness of distress experienced or witnessed during a traumatic birth, which can lead to a diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) affecting 25,000 – 30,000 women annually in the UK.

The term ‘Birth trauma’ is used to describe the symptoms experienced by women that are not diagnosed with PTSD. This includes symptoms of anxiety and experiencing flashbacks of their experience.

Several aspects can equate to a traumatic experience during birth including emergency caesareans, forceps births and long, painful labours leading to the development of symptoms. Intense and short labours, premature birth and post-birth health of a baby can also cause trauma.

Many women report the heightening of trauma due to the lack of adequate communication and negligence by health professionals managing their care. Often, they feel let down by those in whom they have placed their trust. 

The Birth Trauma Association are the sole charity in the UK that supports women and their partners who have experienced birth trauma. More information and support can be found on their website. The organisation was created and is run by women that have experienced birth trauma.   

If you have concerns about the care that you or a family member has received, please contact our specialist team for a no-obligation consultation on 0116 254 7456 or at enquiries@moosaduke.com.