Pregnancy After Trauma

If you are pregnant and you’ve experienced a traumatic birth, sexual trauma, pregnancy loss or infant loss, you may be wondering how you are going to navigate your emotions during this current pregnancy. This pregnancy, you are likely to experience an increase in anxiety, worry, and hypervigilance.  That is an appropriate response to trauma but not an ideal state of mind. The question becomes: what is your plan to manage your heighted emotions and regulate your nervous system?

Know what survival mode looks like for you

A trigger is an event, person, place, or thing that reminds you of your traumatic experience and sends you into survival mode. Survival mode includes the fight, flight, freeze or fawn response. You may feel your heartrate quicken, sweat to form, anxiety spike, thoughts to slow down or speed up or even disassociate. Survival mode looks different for each of us, I encourage you to learn what survival mode looks like for you so you can recognize when you’re in it. When you know what your body is subconsciously doing, your thinking brain can decide about whether or not the threat is real.

 

Know your triggers

Knowing your triggers may keep your trauma symptoms from getting out of hand. For example, if the doctor’s office is a trigger and you’ve got an appointment coming up, use your coping skills to keep your nervous system regulated. It’s easier to stay regulated than get regulated. You can avoid some triggers, and I encourage you to do this – especially if the avoidable triggers are unhealthy. Make a plan around the triggers that are unavoidable.

Coping skills

Now is the time to use your coping skills. This includes regulation strategies, self-care, grounding techniques, learning about yourself, taking space to process your emotions. Practice these skills regularly before you feel triggered. It’s easier to stay regulated than get regulated. You want to get into the practice of de-escalating yourself so it feels like muscle memory.  Use these skills as your approach an unavoidable situation.

Have a trauma informed team

The people supporting you through this pregnancy need to know what to be sensitive about. This includes your OB/GYN, your doula, your lactation consultant, pelvic floor specialist, the hospital and your support system. They do not need (or want) the details, but they need to be aware of your triggers and sensitivities. And most importantly how you want to be supported.

Healing from your experience

One of the most effective ways to heal from the traumatic event is to attend specific trauma therapy. In therapy, you will learn about your triggers, build your coping skill set, and understand your traumatic experience and the ways it impacts how you are showing up for your loved ones and yourself. Through therapy, healing can happen. Ready to begin? Reach out for a consultation.