Hope and awareness of birth trauma & perinatal PTSD
We all know that when it comes to our emotional wellbeing there are many factors that contribute to our feeling healthy. No more so is this true than when it comes to healthy relationships, as they can have a massive
Read moreI lifted my eyes and looked at everyone around the room, some were colleagues, others strangers, some had tears falling from their eyes, others looked shocked and in disbelief, everyone was silent. Someone rushed and embraced me and then a
Read moreThe experience of birth will stay with a woman her whole life time Ask any women her birth story and she will recount it with easy, there is no experience that can compare to bringing a tiny baby into the
Read moreThere’s a well-known saying that ‘words can cut like a knife’. What we say can have a lasting effect on the person at the end of the words we use, our words can be uplighting or encouraging but they can
Read moreWhen people think about post traumatic stress (PTSD) they often think of a soldier, returning from battle traumatised and battered by the ravages of war and the terrible things seen and experienced. However PTSD doesn’t only affect those affected in
Read moreThey say that blood is thicker than water when it comes to relationships, but sometimes the support that we need doesn’t always come from the places and the people we expect, namely those that we love, but instead from those
Read moreThis is the second of three blogs. The first blog looked at the growing concerns around how we can support women to have a less medicalised birth. In order to find out what really matters to women in birth and
Read moreI’m feeling hopeful. Much more so than I have for the many years previously, where birth trauma was hardly mentioned and women would often have their experiences dismissed due to them being told that they should be grateful for having
Read moreThey say the road to recovery can be a long one and I know the true meaning of those words, often the road is long and bumpy, you can take a few wrong turns and even be directed the wrong
Read moreThere are growing conversations about helping women to have what is termed a ‘normal birth’, that is a birth free of interventions including no pain relief etc. Years ago, for women giving birth at home, it was risky event, and
Read moreIm recovered…….mostly. Now and then however PTSD likes to give me reminder that it is still with me lying dormant, like a monster that tries to awake and again take me hostage. Sometimes it rears its head, waking from it
Read more“I have never dealt with anything more difficult than my own mind”. My daughters birthday is always mixed emotions for me, a day to celebrate the light she brought into my life but it was always bitter sweet because it
Read moreToday is World Mental Health Day. There are many people sharing their stories about the reality of living with mental health. Why is this important? Because by sharing our stories and uniting our voices we can be the change needed
Read more“The first time ever I saw your face I thought the sun rose in your eyes, and the moon and the stars were the gifts you gave to the dark and the endless skies” Roberta Flack ‘They held you above
Read moreOver the last few years I have been privileged to be part of some very important discussions around supporting parents and families within healthcare. As a patient rep its is always a bit daunting to try to have your voice
Read moreBIRTH is a natural process that women have been doing for thousands of years, it is an immense time of joy and excitement for not only the woman and her partner, but their family and friends too. When a new
Read moreWe sometimes go through things in life that completely change us as a person. Sometimes it changes things for the better, sometimes the worst and sometimes its both! For me this is certainly true, when I had my first daughter
Read moreThe room is beautiful. Soft hues of yellow shine light like prisms of sunlight. The bed big and inviting the type you want to fall into, its softness enveloping you like a warm embrace. The walls whisper words of hope,
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