There are in no particular order. Every woman reacts differently, so good luck.
External signs that a woman has experienced birth trauma:
(Note: Some of these signs show up immediately, but many won't manifest themselves for several months)
She may isolate herself
She probably cries often
She doesn't smile much
Or she may feel guilty for being sad at a time when society says she should be happy, and smile for everyone else's benefit
She doesn't notice her baby growing up
She might often dress her baby in clothes or diapers that are too small
She might swaddle her baby tightly long after the first three months, when swaddling begins to be less effective
Her memory may be worse than usual
She may get angry easily
She may be very anxious or fearful
Especially near the site of her trauma
Or especially when you discuss birth stories
She may be obsessed with the topic of birth
She may feel the need to tell her story over and over again
She's trying to process what happened in her own mind
She may appear catatonic at times
She's not catatonic, her mind just isn't in that place or time
She's usually reliving her birth experience
She may suddenly look very afraid or sad
She may be having flashbacks
She may mention having flashbacks or nightmares
She may ignore the cries of her children
She may be unable to ignore the cries of her children
She may become very debilitatingly anxious at the cries of her children
She may then either freeze up
Or explode
Whether or not a woman experiences birth trauma is not dependent on her giving birth in a way that appears traumatic to others, however there are some birth experiences that women are more likely to find traumatic than others. She's more likely to feel her birth experience was traumatic if:
Her baby spends any amount of time in the NICU
She has an emergency cesarean
She has a non-emergency cesarean after a long labor
She has a very long labor
She has severe tearing during a vaginal birth
She transfers to a hospital after an attempted home birth or birth center birth
Her baby experiences shoulder dystocia (shoulders get stuck upon exit)
Her baby required resuscitation
She attempted VBAC and still had a cesarean
She had an emergency hysterectomy
Her baby died at birth, or shortly thereafter
Keep in mind that her birth experience is still separate than the outcome. She will need to grieve each part separately.
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