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Birth trauma and perinatal support
Pregnancy, birth and the early postnatal period can be deeply meaningful.
They can also be frightening, confusing, lonely, overwhelming, or traumatic.
Sometimes a birth looks straightforward on paper but feels traumatic in the body, in memory, or in the way you now see yourself, your baby, your partner, or the healthcare system. Sometimes the distress is connected to what happened. Sometimes it's connected to how you were treated — whether you felt heard, whether you felt safe, or whether you felt you had any control.
I support people experiencing birth trauma, perinatal distress, postnatal anxiety, postnatal depression, adjustment to parenthood, grief, loss, fertility-related distress, and fear about future pregnancies.
Birth trauma support
Birth trauma can involve emotional, psychological and relational distress following pregnancy, labour, birth, or the postnatal period. It may occur after a medically complicated birth, but it can also occur when birth appears medically uncomplicated.
These responses aren't a sign of failure. They're signs that something felt unsafe, overwhelming, or unresolved. Therapy can offer a space to understand what happened, process the emotional impact, and support recovery in a way that feels safe and manageable.
If you've been affected by birth trauma, you might experience:
Intrusive memories, flashbacks or nightmares
A sense of fear, panic, anger, grief, shame or guilt
Feeling disconnected from your body, baby, partner, or previous sense of self
Avoiding reminders of the birth or avoiding healthcare settings
Distress when talking about the birth
Confusion about what happened and why
Difficulty trusting healthcare professionals
Hypervigilance, irritability, numbness, or emotional overwhelm
Fear of another pregnancy or birth
Difficulty breastfeeding, bonding, or feeling settled in parenthood
You are not alone in this. Perinatal distress is far more common than most people know.
1 in 7 * Couples experience difficulties with conception.
1 in 5 *Australian mothers face mental health challenges during pregnancy
1 in 3 * Women describe their birth experience as traumatic
1 in 10 *Women will experience postnatal depression
1 in 4 * Pregnancies end in loss — grief that often goes unacknowledged
“ My baby was in distress after a long labour, this resulted in a forceps delivery after which I haemorrhaged and sustained injury. As a new mother I felt frightened all the time, tearful and low, fearing danger around every corner. I was afraid to put my baby down to sleep, or to even walk down the stairs with my new son in my arms. experienced nightmares and replayed the birth over in my head, wondering what could have happened differently. I had scary intrusive thoughts that I was concerned to disclose for fear of being judged a bad mother. I felt forever changed mentally and physically by the birth, and wondered if I would ever feel myself again. I loved being a mother and felt guilty that l was struggling. It was a very lonely time as there was no one to talk to who understood or could point me in the right direction for help.
Slade, 2022
Multidisciplinary birth debrief service
I offer a multidisciplinary birth debrief pathway alongside Dr Danny Tucker, consultant obstetrician, and other maternity care professionals where appropriate.
This service is for people who want psychological support alongside a clearer clinical understanding of their birth experience. It may be helpful if you feel distressed, confused, frightened, angry, disconnected, or unsure about what happened during your pregnancy, labour, birth, or postnatal care.
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What happened during your birth or antenatal care
Why certain decisions, interventions or procedures may have occurred
What your medical record means
What the experience may mean for future pregnancies or healthcare
What emotional responses may have followed the experience
What further support may be helpful
This isn't about telling you how you "should" feel about your birth. It's about helping you make sense of the experience with both psychological and obstetric support.
Perinatal depression and anxiety
Perinatal depression and anxiety can occur during pregnancy or after birth. They can affect mothers, fathers and non-birthing partners. These experiences are common, but they can still feel frightening and isolating.
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Persistent worry or fear
Low mood or tearfulness
Feeling numb, detached or unlike yourself
Panic symptoms
Intrusive thoughts
Sleep difficulties beyond usual baby-related disruption
Loss of confidence
Feeling like you are failing
Irritability, anger or overwhelm
Difficulty enjoying pregnancy or parenthood
Worry about the baby's safety or wellbeing
Thoughts of self-harm or not wanting to be here
Support is available. You don't need to wait until things feel unbearable before seeking help.
If you're at immediate risk, or you're worried you may harm yourself or someone else, call 000 or attend your nearest emergency department. You can also contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Suicide Call Back Service on 1300 659 467.
Support for partners
Partners can be deeply affected too — by pregnancy, birth, trauma, loss, sleep deprivation, relationship changes, adjustment to parenting, and the emotional weight of watching someone you love struggle.
Support may be helpful if you're feeling overwhelmed, withdrawn, irritable, anxious, disconnected, numb, resentful, helpless, or unsure how to support your partner while also managing your own distress. Seeking help as a partner doesn't take attention away from the mother or baby. It's part of caring for the whole family system.
Research-led practice
My PhD research focuses on psychological birth trauma and adult attachment styles. I explore how a person's internal sense of safety, trust, relational expectations and previous attachment experiences may shape how childbirth is experienced and remembered.
This research shapes how I work with perinatal care. Birth trauma isn't something I understand only as an event — it's also about safety, support, control, trust, communication, consent, attachment, and the meaning you make of what happened.
External support
No single therapeutic approach is right for everyone. I work collaboratively with you to find an approach that responds to your needs, strengths and goals.
This isn't about forcing change quickly. It's about understanding what's been happening, what's helped you survive so far, what might no longer be serving you, and what could support a steadier way forward.