Moms who had a traumatic birth, violence-free or otherwise, often have questions others moms wouldn't dream of asking. Such as:
I have thought all of those, and more, usually in rapid succession. I came across a research and educational organization which aims to answer at least one of those questions. APPPAH, or The Association for Prenatal & Perinatal Psychology and Health, mission statement reads: APPPAH's mission is to educate professionals and the public about, and advocate for, the life-changing discoveries made in the area of prenatal and perinatal psychology and health. APPPAH illuminates the life-long impact of conception, pregnancy and birth on babies, families and society. Perhaps it's not news to you, but those of you who know me well can probably imagine just how much I geek-ed out when I discovered this site. It kind of made me wonder: Hmmm.... What was my own birth like, did it cause any lasting problems? Because I have a few! Although a "new" science, I discovered the science of "Birth Psychology" stems back to Freudian research. (You know, the father of psychoanalysis and all? He talked a lot about child sexuality, libido, etc? Yea, that guy.) This idea seems to have had a few scientists interested in its research, but backed out for one reason or another. Eventually it picked back up again and has been studied regularly for at least the past 30 years. (See here for historical notes) Just how profound is this discovery of mine (at least for me)? According to their Website: In the last 25 years, the APPPAH Community has fundamentally: Okay, so maybe you're not nearly as big of a birth-geek as I am. But this is exciting stuff. They're researching person-hood, and no matter what side of that debate you're on, this is game-changer kind of stuff! They're validating my fear that my child might be affected by the trauma and violence I incurred during her birth, and possibly for the rest of her life. I know that's not something we want to think about, but it's real. And knowing about it will enable us to better assess a situation when it occurs. Like when I realized my PTSD had a name. I was then able to deal with it better, and cope. This research is just one of many reasons why we have to end perinatal violence. Check out this video to better understand what I'm geeking-out about here: Debates on person-hood aside:
What are your thoughts on APPPAH & their mission? Do you feel your child is now dealing with birth trauma related issues beyond any immediate physical damages? Do you feel anything you deal with is in direct relation to your own birth?
2 Comments
3/18/2013 02:37:12 pm
Wow, this is so interesting. I had a precipitous labor with my second son. I often tell him he basically karate-chopped his way out - which isn't that far from the truth.
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AuthorWelcome to Momma Trauma's Blog! Thoughts, empowering posts and stories straight from Momma Trauma herself, Birth Trauma families & birth professionals. Archives
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