Laura Greenwood
Laura Greenwood...
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Who are you?
Hi there. Welcome to JAAQ. I am Laura Greenwood. I'm a psychotherapist, maternal mental health coach and founder of Laura Greenwood Therapy. Please feel free to ask me any questions about motherhood, about perinatal mental health and maternal mental health.
Can having a traumatic birth affect a new mothers mental health?
Absolutely. Absolutely. So motherhood is hard enough without coming from a place of trauma. And when you've experienced a traumatic birth, you are coming into motherhood from a place of danger, whether that be danger to yourself or a sense of danger, harm, having come to your baby or feeling like you were out of control, you were not listened to, your wishes and needs were not respected. Whatever made your birth traumatic, it means that you enter into motherhood, which is already challenging from a place of fear. And so of course, what that means is that any natural anxiety that you would ordinarily feel as a new mother learning a brand new role because of all of the changes that are going on within your body is exemplified. You go into motherhood feeling so much more at risk and in danger than you would if you had not had a traumatic birth.
Is it normal to question who I am after giving birth?
So normal. So normal, and this is Mitre essence. This is absolutely what Mitre Essence does to us. It makes us feel like we've lost ourselves. We don't even know who we are now that we're a mother. And asking yourself that question, as challenging as that feels, actually is an opportunity to find the answer. There isn't a quick answer to it. Actually, really finding yourself is something that can take time. As you start to discover that, try and enjoy the journey. I promise you it'll be worth it. And yeah, find who you are through motherhood.