Birth, trauma, and communicating maternal health

Abstract

This paper focuses on birth choices, experiences, and perceptions of traumatic or challenging birth experiences. Maternal and postpartum health is a topic of importance in the United States, given increasing maternal mortality rates , recognition of factors involved in postpartum depression and anxiety, and increasing rates of inductions and cesarean births (c-sections) despite the risks that come with them (Betran et al., 2018; Sandall et al., 2018). The overarching research questions for this project are: How do women define and perceive their negative birth experiences? What are the consequences of the experiences on future communication and care decisions? Using in-depth, semi-structured interviews of women who personally define their birth experience as difficult or traumatic, this paper discusses the potential consequences of listening, language, and support.