Local Maternity System - Birth trauma

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After the birth

Birth Trauma

Mum Mum Baby and Pram Birth Reflections is not a counselling service, if you are suffering from birth trauma, which can happen when you go through a frightening, stressful or distressing event related to the birth of your baby, you may need a different type of support than what Birth Reflections can offer.

Some women may suffer from birth trauma, for all sorts of different reasons.

It’s not only very complex and difficult births that can cause birth trauma – even births that are considered 'textbook' can cause feelings of trauma and anxiety. You might have had a very different birth to the one you’d imagined, and this in itself can feel traumatic.

Whether your birth was long or short, vaginal or caesarean, instrumental in theatre or a home water birth, your feelings about your birth are completely valid. It might be just one aspect of your birth experience that’s playing on your mind and causing you to be unexpectedly thoughtful, or you might feel traumatised by the whole experience.

If you think you might be suffering from birth trauma, there is support available for you.

Perinatal Mental Health Services will assess and support women who are experiencing or at an increased chance of experiencing moderate to severe mental health conditions such as depression, anxiety, OCD, postpartum psychosis and bipolar disorder during pregnancy and up to 12 months after having a baby.

Links to information, support or follow-up input from other organisations is available on this website here.

Week 4

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Your baby is now officially an embryo and is about the size of a poppy seed.

Please visit www.nhs.uk/conditions/pregnancy-and-baby/4-weeks-pregnant/ for more information.

Week 8

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Your baby is now the size of a kidney bean and weighs 1g.

Please visit www.nhs.uk/conditions/pregnancy-and-baby/8-weeks-pregnant/ for more information.

Week 12

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Welcome to the second trimester!

Your baby is about the size of a small lime and weighs approximately 14g.

You have hopefully seen your midwife for your 'booking in' appointment, if you have not yet seen a midwife please make an appointment quickly, so you can have all of your choices about screening tests explained and offered to you.

Please visit www.nhs.uk/conditions/pregnancy-and-baby/12-weeks-pregnant/ for more information. You can also link to the 'Pregnancy Journey' area here.

Week 16

2019-07-03

Your baby is about the size of an avocado and weighs approximately 100g.

Please visit www.nhs.uk/conditions/pregnancy-and-baby/16-weeks-pregnant/ for more information.

Week 20

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Your baby has grown in length and is now the length of a small banana and weighs approximately 300g. Around this time you will be offered your '20 week' scan, also known as the 'anatomy' or 'anomaly' scan.Click here for more information about screening.

This is a also a good time to talk and sing to your bump as your baby can now hear sounds. This is great way for you and your partner/family to bond with your baby.

Please visit www.nhs.uk/conditions/pregnancy-and-baby/20-weeks-pregnant/ for more information.

Week 24

2019-07-03 (8)

Your baby has grown again to the approximate length of an ear of sweetcorn and weighs about 600g.

Please visit www.nhs.uk/conditions/pregnancy-and-baby/24-weeks-pregnant/ for more information.

Week 28

2019-07-03 (1)

Welcome to the third trimester!

Your baby is now approximately the weight of an aubergine; about 1kg and approximately 37cm in length.

Please visit www.nhs.uk/conditions/pregnancy-and-baby/28-weeks-pregnant/ for more information.

Week 32

2019-07-03 (3)

Your baby now weighs approximately the same as a coconut; around 1.5kg.

Please visit www.nhs.uk/conditions/pregnancy-and-baby/32-weeks-pregnant/ for more information.

Week 36

2019-07-03 (5)

Your baby is now around the same size as a lettuce, approximately 47cm long and weighs around 2.6kg.

Please visit www.nhs.uk/conditions/pregnancy-and-baby/36-weeks-pregnant/ for more information.

Week 40

2019-07-03 (9)

Your baby is now the weight of a small watermelon which is approximately 3.3kg and around 50cm in length.

Please visit www.nhs.uk/conditions/pregnancy-and-baby/40-weeks-pregnant/ for more information.