Birth can be unpredictable and despite best efforts to prepare for the birth, many women are left with questions or anxieties for future pregnancies.
Many maternity hospitals in the Wessex area offer the opportunity to revisit your previous birth notes and discuss what happened with an experienced midwife. Ask you own midwife to put you in touch with your local birth refelections service.
There are also many free organisations that can help you address some of your anxiety. Please click the links below for more information on different service or to self refer.
You can find more information about birth trauma and post-traumatic stress disorder here
The Birth Trauma Association (BTA) is a charity that supports women who suffer birth trauma – a shorthand term for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after birth.
They have a team of peer supporters: women who have all experienced traumatic birth themselves and been through a process of recovery. If you’d like to talk to them over email about your experience, please contact them at [email protected].
You can also join our Facebook group for parents with birth trauma: www.facebook.com/groups/TheBta
Click here to visit the website.
Steps 2 Wellbeing covers the Southampton City and Dorset area. There is a range of ways to interact with the services on offer including one to one sessions with a therapist or counsellor, courses to attend, and digital solutions including online consultations, webinar-based groups, and other app and online based tools.
Click here to visit the Steps 2 Wellbeing website.
ITalk covers 3 elements.
Wellbeing- learn simple and effective ways to look after your everyday wellbeing and stay well
Support- if you've been feelig down or overwhelmed lately, the guided selfhelp options empower you to get back on track
Treatment- iTalk offer evidence-based treatments for depression, anxiety, OCD, PTSD and phobias, but you dont need a diagnosis to self-refer.
Click here to visit the iTalk website
Hampshire Lanterns is a group of mum’s who have experienced mental health problems during pregnancy or after childbirth. They aim to support each other via the internet and group meetings so no mum ever has to feel alone.
Click here to visit the Hampshire Lanterns website.
