Birth Trauma Support
If you’ve found yourself here, I am so sorry you are experiencing this and I am here to help. If you or your partner have experienced a traumatic or difficult birth, know you are not alone, it is not your fault and you can move and heal from this. Birth can be a beautiful, empowering and transformative experience for some and for others it may be traumatic, distressing or a scary experience which can result in feelings of pain, anger, grief or even shame.
This could be as a result of interventions, birth plans changing, feelings of fear, helplessness, not feeling listened to, heard or supported, obstetric violence and sometimes loss of control during birth. For some, they may have imagined how their birth would feel and look; however this may have not have turned out the way they imaged which can contribute to the trauma itself. Birth Partners may also experience trauma from witnessing a birth that they may have found scary, traumatic or difficult.
The Birth Trauma Association (BTA) defines birth trauma as a shorthand term for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Around 20-30% of women and birthing people describe their birth as traumatic and studies suggest that between 1.5-5% may experience PTSD ( Post Traumatic Stress Disorder).
Birth trauma has somewhat become a label and actually sometimes we may have experienced a difficult or distressing birth and may not want to use that label but we are still feeling heavy emotions linked to our birth along with some physical and mental symptoms of the impact of our birth experience.
Our brain works really hard to keep us protected all the time. When experience a traumatic event it triggers a part of the brain which is our emotion centre to trigger our fight or flight response which in turns becomes hyper aroused and shuts down all other brain functions. This means that our brain is not able to process and file this experience as a memory in the past like it would with other experiences or events.
All the feelings and emotions we felt during the experience become biologically linked to that memory/ experience and this experience becomes what I like to describe as stuck in our brain. We may then be triggered back to our experience by something such as a conversation, a photo or even a word and we may then experience all those feelings and emotions that we felt during that experience which then re-traumatises us and further encoding our emotion centre even more and it goes round and round in a cycle each time we are triggered.
Birth Trauma Symptoms
Birth is an individual and unique experience as well as the emotions and feelings and symptoms we may experience as a result of a traumatic, difficult or distressing birth.
Symptoms of birth trauma may feel like but not limited to:
Tearfulness
Flashbacks of the memory or event
Anxiety / panic
Hyper-vigilance
Irritability
Trouble sleeping
Relationship changes
Intrusive thoughts
Anger
Numbness
Difficulty bonding
Grief
Shame
Worry that there is something wrong with us
Worry that there is something wrong with our baby
The 3 Step Rewind Process Sessions
I trained in the 3 Step Rewind Process specifically to help others heal from their traumatic experiences. Having experienced first hand the process myself to help me process my own birth experience I wanted to support and offer the same.
The process takes places over three sessions, it is a safe and gentle process that works to process your memory and ease and lift those feelings, symptoms and emotions you may be experiencing. The process used is called the 3 Step Rewind Process and it is a Neuro Linguistics Programming Technique (NLP) and is also used to treat phobias and other trauma related experiences. It helps you to process your experience in a safe and gentle way to ease and disassociate all those feelings and symptoms that you may have been experiencing.
I have worked with clients with their birth experiences, breast/chest feeding experiences and non birth traumatic experience. clients have often notice a difference even after the first session and certainly after the second session with some even remembering some of the positive moments of their experience that may have been clouded by all the emotions and negative parts of their experience. Seeing the impact and positive changes it has made to their lives makes me confident in offering and supporting others using this technique to help them heal from the trauma.
“I was feeling quite traumatised after the birth of my 3rd child during the Covid pandemic. Kerry melted away all of those feelings of anger, hurt and frustration that i still held onto about my treatment during birth and left me with all the warm and loving memories of meeting my daughter for the first time. I am so glad that I found Kerry and the re-wind process, it’s helped me so much to be able to move on. I highly recommend for anyone else struggling”.
What do the sessions involve?
The Three Step Rewind Technique is 3 sessions which usually last between 60 to 90 minutes; however I do not put a time limit on these sessions, they will last however long you need them to - they are your sessions and you take as much time as you need.
Session 1
I will listen to your story, your experience if you feel comfortable to do so. If you do not feel comfortable to talk through your experience we can talk about how your feeling and how it has been affecting your life. We will also talk about how you want to feel away from all the heavy emotions and symptoms you have been feeling. We will finish with a guided relaxation.
Session 2
In this session I will guide you through a relaxation, once you are comfortable and relaxed I will talk you through remembering your experience in a safe and supported way to help you process your experience.. I will be there every step of the way to support you.
Session 3
We will talk about how you have been feeling since session 2. We will talk about your future, focus on how you want to feel looking forward. You have the option to repeat the rewind process again if you feel you want to otherwise we will finish with a gentle relaxation to finish the session.
Sessions are available in person in your home in Nottingham or online from the comfort of your own home. I also offer a birth reflection/debrief session as a part of my postnatal doula support and as a separate session. You can find out more about postnatal doula support here or my birth reflection sessions here.
Cost
The cost for the process is £165 for online (Microsoft Teams) or £185 for in person support. This includes 3 sessions and a 30 minute initial consultation to ask any questions and make sure the process is right for you.
Three step rewind enquiry
Please get in touch to book your free initial 30 minute consultation to by completing the form below or you can use the “book a consultation” link below to book a chat with me directly.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the 3 Step Rewind just for birth?
The three Step Rewind can help to process any experience that you may have experienced as traumatic, distressing or difficult such as:
A traumatic birth
A difficult or complicated pregnancy journey
Breastfeeding difficulties or journey
Fertility journeys
Miscarriage / pregnancy loss
Hospital / NICU stay
A phobia that may or may not be associated with birth
A difficult or traumatic experience that is not related to birth
Who is the 3 Step Rewind For?
The 3 Step Rewind Process is for anyone who may have experienced a traumatic, difficult or distressing experience/
Partners can also experience trauma from witnessing a traumatic birth or from another experience which they may have experienced as traumatic or distressing as a partner, friend or parent. The 3 Step Rewind Process can also help to support partners with their experience.
Is there a time limit when the 3 Step Rewind Process should take place?
There isn’t a time limit when the 3 Step Rewind Process should take place. It can help to support you or your partner no matter how much time has passed, whether your experience happened 3 months or 20 years ago.
I wouldn’t describe my birth as traumatic but rather difficult. Can the 3 Step Rewind Process still help me?
The word ‘trauma’ is just a word, a label and even if you would not consider your experience as traumatic but rather ‘difficult’ or ‘distressing’ and experiencing lots of emotions linked to your experience or memory.
It may be that you keep thinking back to your birth and going over the difficult parts and not able to move on from it or you just want to talk things through. The 3 Step Rewind can help to ease those feelings and process your birth helping you to move forward and focus on the parts of birth that you enjoyed.
I am not sure I am able to talk about my birth, it still feels too raw but I would like support to move forward.
It can sometimes feel difficult or scary talking about your birth or any experience, The first session of the process gives you the opportunity to talk and share your story in a safe non judgemental space at a pace that feels right for you but only if that feels comfortable for you to do so.
If you would rather not share your story, we can work content free and still run the process. You will have to recall and visit the memory /experience but you do not have to share it with me if you do not feel ready to. The process will still work and the outcome will not be affected and can help ease and lift any negative feelings and process your experience.
I don’t feel my birth was traumatic or difficult but I would like to talk about my birth. Do I need to do a 3 Step Rewind Process to do so?
If you would like to talk through your birth in a safe and supported non judgemental space I also offer birth reflection sessions. This is a one off session lasting between 60 - 90 minutes for you to talk through your birth with me.
After your appointment, if you felt that you would like to further support with the 3 Step Rewind Process we can arrange to add in the last two sessions and you would not pay any more then the cost of the 3 Step Rewind Process full sessions.
The second session of the process should be booked in within a minimum of a week after the first session and take place no longer than 10-14 days after the first session to get the maximum benefit of the rewind session.
Can I bring my baby to the sessions?
The key to the sessions is that you are able to fully relax and often we relax best in a space where we feel safe and on our own. However I understand that it may not be easy to leave your baby for appointments due to childcare or feeding and we can be as flexible as possible. Your baby can be brought in for feeding, cuddles throughout sessions. I do recommend that in the second session which usually lasts around 45 minutes that you be alone for the rewind process.
I have worked with many clients before with young babies that were brought in for cuddles and feeding and we can work out what works best for you.
Hello, I am Kerry!
I am a Nottingham based Doula and offer birth and posnatal support in Nottingham as well as virtual birth support wherever you are based.
I am also a hypnobirthing teacher and birth trauma practitioner and can support you every step of the way.
