Pregnancy, childbirth, and postpartum are incredibly vulnerable times of life. During these seasons, your body is not fully your own, and it can feel disorienting. Especially if you’ve ever experienced a traumatic birth.
Yet we often only hear stories about how beautiful this time is, and when our experience doesn’t match up with what we expected, we can feel guilt, shame, anger, and resentment.
Today we have a guest on the show who is passionate about talking about the tough and unexpected stuff in motherhood. Mia Hemstad is a mental health advocate, a political activist, and mother of two little ones who are four and two years old. She is also the founder of No Longer Last, a community of women who are on a journey to do one small thing every day to nourish themselves.
As part of her mission to encourage women to care for themselves, Mia decided to share her traumatic birth experience in a powerful article she wrote was picked up by Parents.com, Yahoo, Kids Spot, Cafe Mom, and several other media outlets. The article has helped thousands of women all over the world to move forward after traumatic birth experiences and learn how to advocate for themselves and their wellness in the future.
I’m so grateful for her bravery in talking about this very important and not-discussed-enough topic, and I know you are going to love this conversation that I had with her.
Three Takeaways for Healing Emotionally after a Traumatic Birth
- Accept that your birth was traumatic, and it was not your fault. Talk to compassionate friends or family about your experience and if necessary, seek counseling support to process what you went through and how your life is changing as a mom to a new baby.
- Don’t be afraid to ask tough questions of your medical professionals and speak up about what you want and need. (ex: What’s your stance on medical intervention and C-sections? Do you screen for depression and anxiety during pregnancy?)
- Trust your intuition and act on it. If you need support acting on your intuition, reach out to someone on your support team and ask for it.
Show Notes
Mia’s article about her traumatic birth
Mia’s Program “No Longer Last”
BetterHelp Online Therapy: betterhelp.com/3in30
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Related Episodes
Episode 107: Surviving Depression in Motherhood // Sarah McKenna
Episode 108: How to Get Help for Mental Illness // Sarah McKenna
Episode 060: 3 Facts about Infant Sleep You MUST Know // Dr. Katie Penry
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Have you experienced a traumatic birth or know someone who has? What did you do to help things feel better? Let me know in a comment below!
