PTSD after caesarean....

[nakedfaery.livejournal.com]

Is it possible to get post traumatic stress disorder after a traumatic birth and caesarean section?

x-posted to theladiesloos

Comments

[kfitzpatrick.livejournal.com]

yes.

[xkookykrysx.livejournal.com]

I would imagine so. I'm still pretty shook up by mine, and its been almost six weeks.

[sarahbear1.livejournal.com]

Sure it's possible.

[munchkins04.livejournal.com]

Its possible yes. However, symptoms similar to PTSD are natural following any traumatic event for a short period of time, which later go away. Symptoms include nightmares, flashbacks, extreme emotional distress following cues, emotional numbing, a feeling of disconnect from others, loss of interest in things you used to enjoy, memory loss for important parts of the event, slieep disturbance, insomnia, hypervigilance, and irrititability. (They are split into categories, and you need a certain amount from each category to have the diagnosis.)

Having said all that, I can quote the DSM (The manual for diagnosing), but its not going to help if you are having PTSD symptoms. The best thing to do would be to find a professional to talk to. And if you don't feel like talking about the event, find someone to talk to about the symptoms, they can help.

[notknowhow.livejournal.com]

You can get PTSD from anything that you perceive to have been traumatic and is effecting you in a negative way. It's one of those things that's totally based on the symptoms and not the underlying cause. The cause is, of course, really important to address along the road to recovery, but not so important when diagnosing.

If you feel that something has changed for the worse in your life, then I'd go to a Dr. and talk about it. Since it is cesarian / birth related, perhaps you can contact OB/GYN about it, and s/he'll hopefully be able to point you in the right direction!

I wish you good luck!

[slobbergal.livejournal.com]

yes

[beautifulmithra.livejournal.com]

Personally, yes, I think so.
I had a c-section with my son 2 years ago. The entire process was extremely traumatic, and fucked up. I'm still not over it. I flip out about it on a regular basis.
So.. yes, I totally think so. A traumatic birth is still a traumatic birth, c-section or not.

[geminigirl]

You might be interested in the community birthtrauma if you're coping with the after effects of a difficult birth.

[asunlitrose.livejournal.com]

Absolutely.

In my training as a postpartum doula, we learned just how traumatic birth experiences can be if they don't go as planned, or even do go as planned. Birth can be extremely traumatic because of how painful it is and how invasive it can be, especially if you're an abuse or sexual assault survivor. This can be intensified by a c-section or epidural in which you feel you have no control over or are detached from your body. PTSD can certainly happen because of all of these things, and the best thing to do is see a professional (doula, counselor, therapist) who is trained in listening to your birth story and can help you process things in the safest way possible. If left untreated, you have a higher chance of experiencing postpartum depression, which no one wants. Consider getting professional help. It will be hard to process your birth but you can evaluate the part that bothers you most and focus on how to make things better. Prescription drugs may also be a possibility, but make sure if you're breastfeeding that the drugs are compatible -- Zoloft, Paxil, and Prozac are known for that, but I'm sure there are others.

Good luck! The first step in recovery is getting information and admitting that you might need help.

[nakedfaery.livejournal.com]

I've been trying to force myself to do some research, all I've managed to do is log onto ICAN website, and it made me so upset I cried floods of tears.

The thing is, my birth was nearly 4 years ago. So I feel a complete baby for feeling this distressed by it now. But the idea that I want to have more children in the future has made me realise I've got to address this overwhelming sense of guilt/shame and FEAR that surrounds the birthing process.

[asunlitrose.livejournal.com]

But you know what? Crying is ok, and you have every right to grieve about your birth and the trauma you endured. You're not a baby, you are experiencing PTSD, and that's really hard to get past without professional help. I have PTSD myself from sexual assault, and it wasn't until almost three years later that the impact hit me (in the form of nightmares, insomnia, paranoia, crying, and more), so I certainly know how you feel. But our minds are wonderful things. A lot of times our mind knows that we're not in the safest place to process something, so they put it in the back until we're ready. Now that you're in a safer place mentally, your mind brings them back and says "hey! you're bugged by this, remember?"

Giving birth is SO HARD, mothering is SO HARD. Not many people acknowledge that once you've had the baby -- they say, "at least your baby is healthy." Well, sure, but you're not feeling ok. Your feelings matter too. Even though it is hard to get help and admit you need help, it sounds like you truly desire it. The guilt, shame, and fear are all completely valid feelings but they do need to be addressed, whether you have kids again or not, because otherwise this is likely to haunt you for a long time, and you don't deserve to go through that.

[nakedfaery.livejournal.com]

Thank you so much for your words! They're very supportive to me and mean the world to me when I'm in this dark place.

[inever.livejournal.com]

Yes. I have PTSD from my birth experience. I didn't have a c-section though. It's been over 5 years. I don't want to go into detail here, but if you think my story can help you in any way please email me. neverpoplar at gmail dot com

[salix-03.livejournal.com]

Oh hells yes. Mine was nearly 6 years ago and I still cry over it sometimes. *massive hugs*

[whollydevoted.livejournal.com]

I had a c-section with my first and it was horrible and traumatizing. I didn't even think about it once, though, until I got pregnant again. Then the PTSD came in full force. I had full blown panic attacks that the thought of settng foot in the hospital again. I had an unassisted birth after cesarean, but it still bothers me at time. I started reading the book "The VBAC Experience" recently and many of the stories give me flashbacks of my daughter's birth. Even after having a successful VBAC I have issues with my first birth. I cry sometimes knowing what I lost with my daughter...something I will never get back. It is not eas to deal with, but botched births aren't dealt with often enough. The voices of wounded mothers ring strong in our society. It is okay to feel bad about your birth and it is important to face these feeling and process them.