“I went through a traumatic birth and here’s what I wish I knew”

For many women, childbirth is a traumatic event, even though it is not the leading cause of death for mothers. Camille Lellouche was also upfront about hers, revealing in particular that she had suffered a hemorrhage. And like the actress and singer, currently jury of The Voicea Canadian journalist wished lift the veil on the preconceived ideas surrounding this event, to better prepare for it.

Stéphanie Hallet shared her story on the HuffPost. While she imagined her delivery as a unique moment during which she would meet her baby and wish him a happy birthday, in reality she had a fever, had to leave her newborn for observation and was scorned by nurses, one of whom even bottle-fed her child because she didn’t know how to do it.not good”. She specifies that it is estimated 44% women having suffered trauma while giving birth. Then she gives advice, shared by Maya Jackson, founder and executive director of “Mobilizing African American Mothers through Empowerment”, a pregnancy and childbirth services organization. The goal is to be ready to experience these difficult moments, to protect yourself from them and to better digest your physical and psychological wounds.

Traumatic childbirth: what to do to prepare?

Maya Jackson considers the medicalization of birth as one of the keys to understanding this high level of trauma during childbirth, because the focus is not on the person but on how to get the baby out through “all means necessary”. She mentions 4 things recommended by childbirth experts to defend her interests in such a context. The first is to know your own body and medical history. This helps differentiate between your healthy feelings and those that might be unusual. It’s a way to better express yourself to medical staff.

The second thing to do to prepare for giving birth is to choose your service providers wisely, which support your birth goals. Ask about the hospital’s C-section rate and its policies, including food during childbirth or the status of a doula (who can’t prevent trauma but can help you make choices ahead of time) in the building. You should be seen as the expert on your body.

Valuable advice for giving birth

The third piece of advice given by Maya Jackson concerns a request to make: pause the delivery room. To avoid not having a say or a decision being made in haste, do not hesitate to encourage the medical team to slow down. Ask her whether or not it is a medical emergency, ask to speak to a superior or to get another opinion… You have the right to refuse care.

The fourth and final thing to do at your delivery is tohave a conversation with staff to start fresh. If you sense bad vibes coming from staff members, ask to speak to them for a second: “am I disturbing?”, “what can we do ?”… This can help relieve tension.

Editor for Aufeminin since 2022, Charlotte is passionate about cinema, French and international, and a fortune reader. Curious about everything, she talks as much about personalities as…