There are many ways in which a birth can be difficult. It could be the length of labour that has left the new mum feeling low, it could have been the pain medications that she received that have left her feeling sick, the medical interventions could have taken their toll on her, or the type of delivery, in general, could be the deciding factor in why everything about the birth was more challenging than expected.
After a difficult birth, it can be tough for new mums to get back any semblance of everyday life. Fortunately, advice on dealing with such a traumatic time and getting back to normality can be found below.
Dealing with a change in your relationships
A problematic birth will undoubtedly impact the relationships you share with other people, and not always for the better. Even your relationship with your partner, with who you have just had a baby with is likely to be strained. You may blame them for not offering your enough support or protection during the labour (even though they were there for you the whole time), and you might be disappointed in them for not talking to you enough about your experience.
It’s important to remember that isolating yourself will get you nowhere and will not help the situation. Even if they don’t want to talk, talk to them. Get all of your true feelings off your chest, and make sure they know just how challenging the birth was.
Another meaningful relationship that you need to tend to and nurture during the aftermath of your difficult birth is the one you share with your newborn. You should do all you can to bond with your baby at this stressful time, no matter how distant you may feel from them. To bond with your baby, you should:
- Seriously consider breastfeeding
- Look into their eyes no matter how you choose to feed them
- Give them a massage
- Stare into the mirror together
- Listen to their heartbeat
- Try and sleep when they sleep
Accept help when it comes to the complex tasks
You may feel isolated after your traumatic birth, but that doesn’t mean you are actually alone. There will be people in your life and professional services out there who will want to help you. So when it comes to the particularly difficult tasks that you face, you should accept this help.
If your difficult birth resulted from any poor maternal or birthing care that you received, you should accept specialist advice and assistance from birth injury solicitors. Such a professional will help you to make and fight for your medical negligence claims, meaning you’d be able to avoid the stress of having to do this alone. Furthermore, by sharing your burden in this way, you’d be able to get on with the aforementioned task of getting to know your newborn baby.
After a difficult birth, you must deal with your situation and your new reality as healthily as possible.
