Traumatic Childbirth

Postpartum depression has become a more recognized mental illness over the past decade as a result of education and increased awareness. Traumatic childbirth, however, is still often overlooked, resulting in a scarcity of information for health professionals. This is in spite of up to 34% of new mothers reporting experiencing a traumatic childbirth and prevalence rates rising for high risk mothers, such as those who experience stillbirth or who had very low birth weight infants.
This ground-breaking book brings together an academic, a clinician and a birth trauma activist. Each chapter discusses current research, women's stories, the common themes in the stories and the implications of these for practice, clinical case studies and a clinician's insights and recommendations for care. Topics covered include: mothers' perspectives, fathers' perspectives, the impact on breastfeeding, the impact on subsequent births, PTSD after childbirth and EMDR treatment for PTSD.
This book is a valuable resource for health professionals who come into contact with new mothers, providing the most current and accurate information on traumatic childbirth. It also presents mothers' experiences in a manner that is accessible to women, their partners, and families.

Cheryl Tatano Beck is Distinguished Professor at the School of Nursing, University of Connecticut, USA. Jeanne Watson Driscoll is a board certified clinical nurse specialist in adult psychiatric-mental health nursing. She maintains a private psychotherapy practice specializing in the care of women experiencing mood and anxiety disorders during their reproductive years in Boston Massachusetts, USA. Sue Watson is co-founder of Trauma and Birth Stress (TABS), an organization dedicated to raising the profile of traumatic birth and the devastation it causes. She currently works as a childbirth educator in Auckland, New Zealand.

1. Introduction 2. What is Traumatic Birth and Posttraumatic Stress due to Childbirth 3. Jeanne's Introduction to Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Secondary to Birth trauma 4. Review of the Literature on Risk Factors for Postpartum Posttraumatic Stress Response 5. Women's narratives of risk factors for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder 6. Assessment and Diagnosis 7. Case Study 1: Carol 8. Instruments to Screen for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder 9. Impact of Traumatic Childbirth on Breastfeeding 10. Anniversary of Birth Trauma 11. Subsequent Childbirth after a Previous Traumatic Birth 12. Case Study 2: Anne 13. Selected Treatments for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder 14. Case Study 3: Sheila 15. Fathers and Traumatic Childbirth 16. Trauma and Birth Stress (TABS) 17. Secondary Traumatic Stress 18. Epilogue