Birth trauma, PTSD and the silent impact on families

By Luke Simpson

Published May 07, 2025In: Clinical Negligence

Pregnancy and childbirth bring a mixture of excitement and anxiety for expecting families. The promise of parenthood and worries about whether everything will go to plan occupy the minds of all mothers. Whilst we are often told that childbirth will be the best day of our lives, many feel unprepared for their birth experience and some are sadly left physically and emotionally scarred by a traumatic birth.

Traumatic births

In the UK, approximately 1 in 20 women who give birth will suffer PTSD as a result of a traumatic experience. Trauma following birth could be triggered by the following experiences:

Your baby was stillborn
Your baby was born with a disability
You were left with an injury following birth
You feared for the baby’s life or your own
Your labour was very lengthy or painful
You or your baby required intensive medical intervention
You needed a forceps or ventouse delivery
You needed an emergency C-section
You suffered a tear
You were left feeling powerless or out of control
You were left feeling a lack of privacy and dignity
The medical staff were unsympathetic

Struggling to cope

When a baby suffers a birth injury, it can be difficult for mothers to come to terms with this and often they feel guilty, feeling somehow responsible for their child’s condition even though they were powerless to prevent it.

Even when a baby is born healthy, mothers can still suffer PTSD if the birth was traumatic. This can make it particularly difficult for others to understand how you feel, as it is assumed that you should be happy if you and your baby are healthy.

Whilst many sufferers aren’t aware that they may have PTSD, they may find that they are struggling to bond with their baby or partner after birth. They will also often feel anxious, detached, and unable to avoid intrusive thoughts.

Opening up

Last week, at Switalskis Brain Injury at Birth Conference , we heard from expert psychologist Dr Jan Smith, who joined us to talk about the impact of traumatic birth on mothers and their wider families.

For all families, and particularly for those who experience a traumatic birth or birth injury, the stresses of running a family, hospital appointments, therapies, medication, poor sleep and maintaining relationships can be overwhelming. These struggles are only made worse if parents are having to cope with PTSD.

To help parents cope, Dr Smith discussed the importance of recognising maternal mental health symptoms and making the brave step to talk about them with a partner, friends, family or even a GP or midwife who understands birth trauma.

Whilst opening up can sometimes feel impossible, starting to talk about your experience is an important first step to overcoming what you’ve been through. This is true not only for traumatised mothers but the wider family as a whole. As the effects of birth trauma and PTSD are likely to affect more than just the mother, all members of the family can engage with the process of opening up and healing.

As we heard from Dr Smith at our Birth Injury Conference, the health and wellbeing of parents is critical for establishing stability in a new child’s life, particularly if that child has suffered a birth injury and needs intensive and long term rehabilitation.

During Maternal Mental Health Awareness Week (5th to 11th May 2025), our specialist birth injury solicitors are reflecting on the problems faced by our clients and their families everyday as they try to overcome the impacts of traumatic birth caused by medical mismanagement.

We’re here to support you

If you or a loved one has been affected by a traumatic birth or birth injury, you don’t have to go through it alone. Our specialist medical negligence solicitors are here to listen, support, and advise you on your options.