Louisville & online
BIRTH TRAUMA and PREGNANCY LOSS support
“being heard is the most transformative experience of all."
At least one-third of women feel some part of their birth was traumatic. This can affect their relationship with their baby, intimacy with their partner, and plans for more children. It can also cause anxiety about further interactions with the medical system.
It comes as a surprise to most women that standard maternity care does not reflect best scientific evidence and does not afford them the conditions needed for safe and easy births. They trust a broken system that sabotages uninterrupted physiologic birth and leaves the woman feeling guilty, assuming that her body was broken or unable to perform. This feeling of inadequacy goes on to influence her breastfeeding & mothering experiences.
Many women do not get the support they need following their traumatic births and receive a misdiagnosis of postnatal depression. Some have a story that does not seem traumatic to others but is continuing to profoundly affect them. You have a right to respect, dignity, and to have your story heard.
Emma SvanbergAt
You lay awake at night replaying the details of your birth over and over again
You feel panicked or enraged when you drive by the hospital or your medical provider's office
You blame yourself for the decisions you made leading up to your birth and dream of a "do-over"
birth trauma debrief is for you if:
Everyone is telling you "healthy baby, happy mother" but you feel like something is wrong
You feel spaced out or disassociated when you recall your birth and parts of it are hard to piece together
You feel a lot grief when you reflect on your last birth and you’re scared to get pregnant again
Telling your story in my safe space is your first step towards healing. I will help you piece together what happened at your birth, answer your questions, and help you move forward. our time together will include:
emotional support
I will take the time to deeply listen to every aspect of your story including your prenatal care and beliefs leading up to the birth, and how your experience has affected who you are today. We can also work through fear surrounding future pregnancy and birth.
medical debrief
If desired, I can review your prenatal and birth records, and help you piece together the steps that led to your birth, and fill in any missing gaps. I can teach you about the birth energy flow that occurs in uninterrupted birth and how that flow can be restored even after a disruption has occurred.
body work
For in-person sessions, I use healing modalities such as Maya Abdominal Therapy® and Holistic Pelvic Care to help your pelvic bowl heal, and release patterns of trauma held in the body, so that you can create a new blueprint for birthing in power.
My Story
I am a doctor and mother of nine children. My first birth was a planned home birth that ended up transferring to the hospital. Once there, I received the cascade of interventions that are typical in the hospital setting.
The effects of my traumatic birth included difficulty establishing nursing, lack of sleep due to flashbacks of labor and delivery, and increased pain which forced me to crawl down the stairs because I was unable to walk.
My supportive husband and co-workers were not equipped with the resources to recognize the trauma and give me the support I needed. I would weep while trimming the IV poles and medical equipment out of my birth photos. I felt isolated and too guilty to mention my grief to others because, after all, I had a healthy baby and I was a "healthy" mother. I developed PTSD and underwent therapy in order to help me heal but ultimately was left alone to figure it out on my own.
I understand the workings of the medical system because I worked in that system for many years. Medical protocols are mystifying to outsiders. One thing leads to the next and you are swept along for the ride. I left industrialized medical prenatal care and birth behind and returned to my authentic midwifery and wise woman roots.
birth trauma and PREGNANCY LOSS support
2 x 1h sessions | $420
Over Zoom or In Person at Full Circle, Louisville
If you are in need of Birth Trauma or Pregnancy Loss support but the investment is a barrier, please reach out to me directly. I am open to exploring creative ways of reciprocity and sliding scale.
seeking support for PREGNANCY loss? these sessions apply to you, too. i compassionately walk with women through all stages of miscarriage or loss to help you process and move forward. our work can include:
emotional support
I take the time to deeply listen to every aspect of your story, including your conception journey, pregnancy and the miscarriage itself. We can also work through fear surrounding future pregnancies, and calling in another child.
in-home care
I offer in-home support during and after pregnancy loss to provide you with the stable and grounded energy you deserve. I am here to witness you as you release your baby and your pregnancy, safely, in the comfort of your home.
body work
In-person, I use healing modalities such as Maya Abdominal Therapy and Holistic Pelvic Care® to aid your physical healing, and release patterns of trauma held in the body, so that you can create a new blueprint for sacred relationship with your female body.