[Traumatic childbirth and trauma-sensitive obstetric support].

Abstract

Childbirth can be avery happy and empowering experience for women but also one of suffering and despair. Biographical traumatic experiences, especially sexual, physical and emotional violence, are risk factors for atraumatic childbirth experience with the danger of subsequent trauma sequelae and impaired mother-child bonding; however, obstetrically indicated interventions or poor communication in the delivery room can also primarily be experienced as traumatic.In recent years, policies affecting traumatic childbirth experience have been controversially and sometimes emotionally discussed. In the clinical obstetric routine there is often afine line between medically necessary rapid interventions and emotionally supportive trauma-sensitive and preventive obstetric care. The following article addresses the causes and prevention strategies of traumatic childbirth experiences from obstetric, midwifery and psychotherapeutic perspectives.