3/29/2024 0 Comments Signs of trauma in babiesSeek professional help if you still feel that the birth trauma has got in the way of your relationship with your baby, and you need extra support. It is really important that you have an outlet for these feelings – speak to someone you trust, do not bottle them up. You may feel a mix of feelings towards the baby – some parents talk about feeling guilty, or angry and ashamed, or as if they have failed the baby. Reflect on the little milestones you have achieved, and how far you have come together. Pause, slow down and allow yourself just be with your baby when feeding or holding them, or as they fall asleep. Infant massage, skin to skin, swaddling – are all very helpful in the early days and are tried and proven ways of helping baby with potential trauma symptoms such as muscle tension and colic.Īllow yourself moments of ‘meeting’ your baby. If we are not calm, it will be more difficult to calm them. Babies can often pick up and react to our physical stress. When picking baby up or feeding check your own body posture and breathing. High levels of stress hormones may make this more difficult – however, you can establish a loving relationship with your baby over time. Sometimes after a traumatic birth, we do not experience the ‘rush of love’ we expected. Remember that creating a relationship with your baby is a process. Call on friends and family regularly so you can get rest and respite. hyperarousal, intrusive memories, it is vital that you can have regular breaks from looking after the baby to restore your own equilibrium. Due to the impact the birth trauma may have on you, e.g. Understand that you, your baby and the whole family have come through a very difficult experience, and that this is NOT your fault.īeing able to support your baby post-trauma is not something you can do on your own. Also check out the Parent Infant Foundation as well as the Association for Infant Mental Health and the Birth Trauma Association. It might be that they can suggest practical ways of helping your baby, or they could refer you to a practitioner trained in supporting babies and their parents after birth trauma. Of course, these signs of distress may be visible when baby is hungry, bored or tired, or going through a growth spurt or teething – but if you notice these signs on an ongoing basis without apparent cause, it might be worth discussing with your GP, Health Visitor or other trusted person. Muscular rigidity – flinching when touched or massaged, not relaxedĬrying – pained, high pitch screaming even when core needs have been met moving baby from boob to cot, or from home into a car seatįeeding difficulties – colic, reflux, regular after feeds, failure to gain weightĭifficulty soothing or settling, very difficult to calm baby on ongoing basisĬlinginess, not easily put down or passed to another person Heightened sensitivity to transitions and changes in environment e.g. Sleep difficulties – either difficulty falling or staying asleep or oversleeping Heightened startle reflex –‘ jumpiness’ with loud noises or sudden changes in routine Common signs of trauma/distress in babies may be: Just like us, our babies may also have been exposed to high levels of stress hormones such as adrenalin, noradrenalin and cortisol during the birth – these hormones are released by the brain in fight-flight-freeze situations. Whilst these feelings can be very distressing for parents, it is very important to understand that they are neither right nor wrong, but may be related to how birth trauma impacts us and our babies psychologically and neurologically.
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