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Pinter & Martin Why It Matters #15
Why Birth Trauma Matters
When we think about trauma and PTSD we tend to think about war and conflict. But around a third of women feel some part of their birth was traumatic. This experience can impact on their mental and physical health, their relationships and future plans.
In Why Birth Trauma Matters, Dr Emma Svanberg, clinical psychologist and co-founder of Make Birth Better, explores what happens to those who go through a bad birth. She explains in detail how birth trauma occurs, examines the wide-ranging impact on all of those involved in birth, and looks at treatments and techniques to aid recovery. By drawing on her own research and the work of experts in the field, and sharing the first-hand experiences of women, she shows how it is possible to begin to move on.
In Why Birth Trauma Matters, Dr Emma Svanberg, clinical psychologist and co-founder of Make Birth Better, explores what happens to those who go through a bad birth. She explains in detail how birth trauma occurs, examines the wide-ranging impact on all of those involved in birth, and looks at treatments and techniques to aid recovery. By drawing on her own research and the work of experts in the field, and sharing the first-hand experiences of women, she shows how it is possible to begin to move on.
- GenresNonfiction
181 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 11, 2019
24 people are currently reading
153 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
December 22, 2024
Yes. All of this, yes. Here is a simple overview of the reality of birth trauma, and how you can heal, or help. It is thorough but accessible and brilliantly walks the balance of understanding the systemic difficulties while being imbued with hope for every birth.
June 10, 2020
This is such an important book that needed to be written. It is written by a clear expert in this subject, and includes important information and evidence, along with the personal stories of women's experiences.
I work solely with new mothers, and it is very confronting to realise how often these women reveal traumatic experiences surrounding their births. These voices need to be heard. We need to stop looking away, stop rationalising and belittling personal emotion and experiences, and to start facing this issue head on. This book is an important step in this direction, and its appearance on the market will hopefully allow those who are working with and supporting mothers to understand the complexities of birth trauma and its ramifications.
I particularly liked the exploration into the less typical areas of what is traditionally seen as trauma, and that what some may see as 'routine', others can view as traumatic. Pain, checks and examinations, helplessness, how women feel about their bodies... Traumatic experiences are 'in the eye of the beholder', and a reminder that we must listen.
A hard read, but a vital read.
I work solely with new mothers, and it is very confronting to realise how often these women reveal traumatic experiences surrounding their births. These voices need to be heard. We need to stop looking away, stop rationalising and belittling personal emotion and experiences, and to start facing this issue head on. This book is an important step in this direction, and its appearance on the market will hopefully allow those who are working with and supporting mothers to understand the complexities of birth trauma and its ramifications.
I particularly liked the exploration into the less typical areas of what is traditionally seen as trauma, and that what some may see as 'routine', others can view as traumatic. Pain, checks and examinations, helplessness, how women feel about their bodies... Traumatic experiences are 'in the eye of the beholder', and a reminder that we must listen.
A hard read, but a vital read.
April 4, 2025
There was a lot I liked about this book and on the whole I'd be happy to share it with anyone.
I particularly liked the level of detail about specific therapies and the combination of the description with a personal account by someone who had experienced the type of therapy. It also described a number of no cost techniques which did a lot to counteract the slightly unfortunate middle-class, London (or at least city) but probably inevitable vibe of the Why It Matters series. The discussion of the problems with debriefing services and the reality that some 'therapy' is far from therapeutic were very important.
I had a few issues with the way in which professional voices were used in the book. Some just needed better editing for the point they were being used to illustrate. I am completely OK with the inclusion of trauma to professionals here but didn't quite feel that she'd got to the nitty gritty. It's not all about short staffing and moral injury isn't a term that is used and should have been ('obstetric violence' is used but there's a bit of a 'let's not go there' vibe to it - some of that appropriate so as not to detract from the personal). Adam Kay's comedic memoir is discussed and the tendency for being 'risk averse' without any mention of his fundamental negative attitude to childbirth (and thus by extension women's bodies and physiology). The quotation from (another) obstetrician comes across as merely defensive and unintelligent "we just want what's best for you" - I am sure there are lots of obstetricians who could have said something better. It made me uncomfortable alongside an un-nuanced approach to planned Caesarean birth for subsequent babies if chosen - as if that's guaranteed to offer a woman control and nothing unexpected (it's not no-risk) and the only issue being that you might have been able to give birth vaginally.
By contrast there are small mentions of 'bad outcomes' which were not traumatic - baby loss with high quality compassionate support for example and I thought that was important. We're often not good at seeing the difference and that's probably how we get in this 'the thing that matters is a healthy baby' mess.
I particularly liked the level of detail about specific therapies and the combination of the description with a personal account by someone who had experienced the type of therapy. It also described a number of no cost techniques which did a lot to counteract the slightly unfortunate middle-class, London (or at least city) but probably inevitable vibe of the Why It Matters series. The discussion of the problems with debriefing services and the reality that some 'therapy' is far from therapeutic were very important.
I had a few issues with the way in which professional voices were used in the book. Some just needed better editing for the point they were being used to illustrate. I am completely OK with the inclusion of trauma to professionals here but didn't quite feel that she'd got to the nitty gritty. It's not all about short staffing and moral injury isn't a term that is used and should have been ('obstetric violence' is used but there's a bit of a 'let's not go there' vibe to it - some of that appropriate so as not to detract from the personal). Adam Kay's comedic memoir is discussed and the tendency for being 'risk averse' without any mention of his fundamental negative attitude to childbirth (and thus by extension women's bodies and physiology). The quotation from (another) obstetrician comes across as merely defensive and unintelligent "we just want what's best for you" - I am sure there are lots of obstetricians who could have said something better. It made me uncomfortable alongside an un-nuanced approach to planned Caesarean birth for subsequent babies if chosen - as if that's guaranteed to offer a woman control and nothing unexpected (it's not no-risk) and the only issue being that you might have been able to give birth vaginally.
By contrast there are small mentions of 'bad outcomes' which were not traumatic - baby loss with high quality compassionate support for example and I thought that was important. We're often not good at seeing the difference and that's probably how we get in this 'the thing that matters is a healthy baby' mess.
January 3, 2020
Birth trauma affects 1 in 3 birthing people and in contrast to other forms of PTSD and C-PTSD it is rarely discussed, leaving birthing people to face their trauma in shame and silence and with cultural pressure to live in and perform pregnancy and births in a state of filtered Instagram bliss. With stats so high, it made sense to me to read a birth trauma book during pregnancy to understand the complexities of trauma, how trauma can occur, and to learn techniques on how to minimise trauma occurring. Emma Svanberg is a clinical psychologist specialising in pregnancy, birth and parenting and she is also the co-founder of Make Birth Better. Her writing and message is important in a risk-averse and highly interventional birthing culture. This is a book for birthing people, their partners, and their caregivers.
July 27, 2019
You can watch my video review of this book here: https://youtu.be/BtsruPCCriQ
In the first section of this book there was a lot of describing what trauma is, defining it, and I felt that this went on too long. I am not interested in every variation of description. As far as I’m concerned women (or someone close to them) can decide if their births were traumatic. I want to focus on the birth experiences that women find traumatic, and what the consequences and then preventions are.
There was a very heavy focus on ptsd specifically which I didn’t really understand – why focus on this specific type of trauma so heavily?
The list of PTSD symptoms didn’t make sense to me in regards to birth, there are too many grey areas and things that are affected differently during birth.
Finally we were past that section, although for me it had already ruined the book. This book then covered some really important areas surrounding birth.
In causes of birth trauma Svanberg talks about obvious causes of trauma such as stillbirth, or a sick baby, which are obviously incredibly distressing experiences however they are handled, although Svanberg points out that handling these situations badly can make them even worse.
Svanberg explains that some people are more at risk of suffering badly form birth trauma, such as people who have suffered previous abuse or are LGBT, this is a very sensitive area. I think that some of these people may well be empowered by the birth process in respect to their past, although the health care system can probably impact their experiences more, for example, feeling out of control of the situation.
Svanberg also talks about the effects of the maternity services on causing birth trauma. What are considered ‘routine’ aspects of birth can also be traumatising for women, eg. Examinations, pain, how we’re spoken to, how we feel about our bodies and much much more and there should be more open discussion about these things as there is a lot that women ‘put up with’ because they don’t think they have a choice, or they think that people don’t want to hear them talking about it.
Svansberg talks about most women’s need to talk. It was what I loved most about volunteering with new mums, giving them a space to share their experiences, to be listened to. I believe that new mothers need this, and I also believe that many other mothers are happy to give it. Society may not give a shit about women and their birth experiences, but many women quietly know that they mean the absolute world to them.
I found the reading of this book quite muddled. There was some good, succinct information and there were many areas covered for such a small book, although there was far too long at the beginning spent defining birth trauma. There was a lot of information in this book, but not really enough about anything (except the definition of trauma). I also got really irritated that this book kept referring to women having traumatic “first” births and being able to heal in their second births. For a book that was so cautious about inclusivity that it referred to the “mother or birthing person” why did it neglect to suppose that women don’t just have traumatic first births. I had a difficult time with my second birth, it wasn’t from my lack of experience, it was because of my particular situation in that birth, I can’t believe that this is so unusual. I also think this book approaches the birth trauma subject too much from the therapy angle rather than the birth angle, but then that’s not a surprise when its written by a psychologist. Having said that I think Svanberg does understand the need for better parent centred birth services.
In truth the subjects covered in this book are vast, there are so many different angles and aspects and personal routes through. This book is really an introduction and overview of an incredibly complex area. I have taken a lot of notes for further reading from this book. There was a lot of signposting in the book and these were repeated in categories at the end as well.
This book also had some constructive examples of ways to improve the situation for parents and staff, it is in many ways about recognising that maternity care is not like any other area of the NHS, women aren’t sick, they don’t need to lie down and be operated on. They need to have ownership and direction in their care (in fact I hate that word care, we need something different), it needs to be de-medicalised, and where the hospital resources are needed, women still need to feel some control in the process. Maternity care is not like any other area of the NHS, and realising that is the first step to understanding the change in approach that is needed.
This review seems a little confused, and I think that reflects the book. It is an important book about a very important area, but it does feel confused. I think that the biggest problem for this book is that it’s trying to catch a rainbow in a fishing net. Birth Trauma isn’t straight forward. A woman can have a straightforward or empowering birth and still be traumatised. She can have a list of birth interventions and feel positive and empowered and not traumatised. Birth trauma depends on the angle you look at it, and it is tied up with a million other things. Svanberg recognises this situation and I think it is admirable to try and attempt to cage the beast, but in my opinion, it is too vast and complicated for this book to get a grip on, that’s not to say that people shouldn’t keep trying though.
You can watch my video review of this book here: https://youtu.be/BtsruPCCriQ
In the first section of this book there was a lot of describing what trauma is, defining it, and I felt that this went on too long. I am not interested in every variation of description. As far as I’m concerned women (or someone close to them) can decide if their births were traumatic. I want to focus on the birth experiences that women find traumatic, and what the consequences and then preventions are.
There was a very heavy focus on ptsd specifically which I didn’t really understand – why focus on this specific type of trauma so heavily?
The list of PTSD symptoms didn’t make sense to me in regards to birth, there are too many grey areas and things that are affected differently during birth.
Finally we were past that section, although for me it had already ruined the book. This book then covered some really important areas surrounding birth.
In causes of birth trauma Svanberg talks about obvious causes of trauma such as stillbirth, or a sick baby, which are obviously incredibly distressing experiences however they are handled, although Svanberg points out that handling these situations badly can make them even worse.
Svanberg explains that some people are more at risk of suffering badly form birth trauma, such as people who have suffered previous abuse or are LGBT, this is a very sensitive area. I think that some of these people may well be empowered by the birth process in respect to their past, although the health care system can probably impact their experiences more, for example, feeling out of control of the situation.
Svanberg also talks about the effects of the maternity services on causing birth trauma. What are considered ‘routine’ aspects of birth can also be traumatising for women, eg. Examinations, pain, how we’re spoken to, how we feel about our bodies and much much more and there should be more open discussion about these things as there is a lot that women ‘put up with’ because they don’t think they have a choice, or they think that people don’t want to hear them talking about it.
Svansberg talks about most women’s need to talk. It was what I loved most about volunteering with new mums, giving them a space to share their experiences, to be listened to. I believe that new mothers need this, and I also believe that many other mothers are happy to give it. Society may not give a shit about women and their birth experiences, but many women quietly know that they mean the absolute world to them.
I found the reading of this book quite muddled. There was some good, succinct information and there were many areas covered for such a small book, although there was far too long at the beginning spent defining birth trauma. There was a lot of information in this book, but not really enough about anything (except the definition of trauma). I also got really irritated that this book kept referring to women having traumatic “first” births and being able to heal in their second births. For a book that was so cautious about inclusivity that it referred to the “mother or birthing person” why did it neglect to suppose that women don’t just have traumatic first births. I had a difficult time with my second birth, it wasn’t from my lack of experience, it was because of my particular situation in that birth, I can’t believe that this is so unusual. I also think this book approaches the birth trauma subject too much from the therapy angle rather than the birth angle, but then that’s not a surprise when its written by a psychologist. Having said that I think Svanberg does understand the need for better parent centred birth services.
In truth the subjects covered in this book are vast, there are so many different angles and aspects and personal routes through. This book is really an introduction and overview of an incredibly complex area. I have taken a lot of notes for further reading from this book. There was a lot of signposting in the book and these were repeated in categories at the end as well.
This book also had some constructive examples of ways to improve the situation for parents and staff, it is in many ways about recognising that maternity care is not like any other area of the NHS, women aren’t sick, they don’t need to lie down and be operated on. They need to have ownership and direction in their care (in fact I hate that word care, we need something different), it needs to be de-medicalised, and where the hospital resources are needed, women still need to feel some control in the process. Maternity care is not like any other area of the NHS, and realising that is the first step to understanding the change in approach that is needed.
This review seems a little confused, and I think that reflects the book. It is an important book about a very important area, but it does feel confused. I think that the biggest problem for this book is that it’s trying to catch a rainbow in a fishing net. Birth Trauma isn’t straight forward. A woman can have a straightforward or empowering birth and still be traumatised. She can have a list of birth interventions and feel positive and empowered and not traumatised. Birth trauma depends on the angle you look at it, and it is tied up with a million other things. Svanberg recognises this situation and I think it is admirable to try and attempt to cage the beast, but in my opinion, it is too vast and complicated for this book to get a grip on, that’s not to say that people shouldn’t keep trying though.
You can watch my video review of this book here: https://youtu.be/BtsruPCCriQ
October 7, 2023
Info packed for a small book. UK/ nhs focused for current treatments for pre/post natal. Had warnings before sad/potentially upsetting birth stories and used gender neutral language throughout most of the book.
Very interesting to hear about similarities between birth ptsd and standard ptsd as well as various treatments. Love that France auto refers women to a gynaecologist after any birth.
Very interesting to hear about similarities between birth ptsd and standard ptsd as well as various treatments. Love that France auto refers women to a gynaecologist after any birth.
November 1, 2019
I have just finished reading Why Birth Trauma Matters and it has given me a deep understanding of birth trauma. As a specialist provider of antenatal and postnatal yoga services this book has helped me navigate the complexities of the issues surrounding yoga for the women who attend our services and their families. It has allowed me to open up conversations in a sensitive and supportive manner. This is as much a book about the untold and the unspoken journey of pregnancy and birth for many women and their families as much as it is a mini handbook for professionals.
It is very well organised for an emotive topic such as trauma. It is written by someone who really understands the nature of birth trauma and can authoritatively talk about it. Yet the book doesn’t read like another dry discourse on trauma. Emma’s involvement with the affected families and her work in the field shines through. Her compassion for the affected is what makes this book so powerful. The book starts with clearly articulating what trauma is and how wide and complex each experience can be in each woman’s life. For those who may be new to this topic will find that Emma’s descriptions really bring home the epidemic nature of trauma in birth.
The book is also very good at bringing in the secondary victims such as fathers and the non-talked about health professionals themselves. I think in all the balance of stakeholders addressed in this book is what makes it stand out. This is not a book for just mothers or just midwives. This is a book for all of us in society about how we understand, process, communicate and heal from birth trauma.
Read this if you are looking for small steps forward for yourself as the tips and suggestions are little gems that each one of us can incorporate into our own lives and make us more aware of those going through tough times around us. Read this book if you are a health care professional who deals with pregnant and new mothers as you will find a good balance of advice, evidence and structure to have the important conversations we all need to engage in.
It is very well organised for an emotive topic such as trauma. It is written by someone who really understands the nature of birth trauma and can authoritatively talk about it. Yet the book doesn’t read like another dry discourse on trauma. Emma’s involvement with the affected families and her work in the field shines through. Her compassion for the affected is what makes this book so powerful. The book starts with clearly articulating what trauma is and how wide and complex each experience can be in each woman’s life. For those who may be new to this topic will find that Emma’s descriptions really bring home the epidemic nature of trauma in birth.
The book is also very good at bringing in the secondary victims such as fathers and the non-talked about health professionals themselves. I think in all the balance of stakeholders addressed in this book is what makes it stand out. This is not a book for just mothers or just midwives. This is a book for all of us in society about how we understand, process, communicate and heal from birth trauma.
Read this if you are looking for small steps forward for yourself as the tips and suggestions are little gems that each one of us can incorporate into our own lives and make us more aware of those going through tough times around us. Read this book if you are a health care professional who deals with pregnant and new mothers as you will find a good balance of advice, evidence and structure to have the important conversations we all need to engage in.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews