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Birth Trauma Support
Fraser Valley, British Columbia & Beyond
Welcome to the Fraser Valley Birth Trauma Support Page. This page was set up by a fellow birth trauma survivor after not finding any resources available in the community. The latest estimates of birth trauma rates are now at 45% of all births every year. While unexpected and traumatic events can occur during birth, most survivors say that the reason for their trauma has more to do with how they were treated rather than what actually happened to them. This means that birth trauma is largely preventable. Once the trauma has occurred, the people who were involved move on with their lives while we are left to pick up the pieces. This page is full of resources to help you navigate your own healing journey. You are not alone.
To start off, here are some common feelings you may have after your birth trauma:
-You may feel that your experience wasn't as bad as what other people have gone through, and question if what happened to you was "traumatic enough" to be considered birth trauma.
- You may have trouble bonding with your baby or question whether or not your baby is actually yours.
- You may feel triggered by any mention of birth in any context.
- You may feel very angry or envious of other people's positive birth stories.
- You may feel very overprotective of your baby, more so than other parents seem to be.
- You may have many questions, memories that are out of order or have a lot of confusion surrounding what actually happened to you.
These are all examples of trauma responses. Remember, that if it felt traumatic to you then it was trauma, regardless of the specifics of what happened. Trauma occurs when there is an event that is sudden, unexpected and overwhelming, during which you feel out of control and have no voice. Your feelings are valid no matter what they are, even if they contradict each other.
See below for some of the resources available to you. Click here if you want to know more about me. Feel free to reach out if you have any questions or join our facebook support group.
Urgent Coping Techniques
Urgent Coping Techniques
Start A Journal | Write your thoughts down in a notebook, this way they are on a page and not replaying in your brain. | https://ptsdrecovery.ca/the-benefits-of-journaling-for-mental-health/ |
Breathing Tool | A visual aid to help with regulating your breathing. Slow breathing helps to "trick" your brain out of panic mode. | https://dailyburn.com/life/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/hexagon.gif |
Say Out Loud How You Want To Feel | Example: "I am awesome! I am a great at this!" Say things that make you feel good and strong afterwards. | https://thinkup.me/affirmations-for-trauma/#:~:text=Affirmations%20for%20trauma%20can%20interrupt,of%20their%20emotions%20and%20experiences. |
Put Something Happy In Your Ears | Happy music is a great distraction when your mind is stuck in a loop, replaying your traumatic experience. | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2W3sRSB-WU4 |
Anxiety Tools | A how to guide for managing anxiety and trauma. | https://www.anxietycanada.com/free-downloadable-pdf-resources/ |
Grounding Techniques | A great resource full of other "grounding techniques" you can try when you are feeling triggered. | https://www.healthline.com/health/grounding-techniques?fbclid=IwAR3xHSqZSZ7NauQCz0eUxtVsslmCppWBidfSDub4Aqb0m8AWQzMa-52v6ns#physical-techniques |
Bilateral Tapping | Bilateral tapping helps your brain reprocess the traumatic memories that have been improperly stored. | https://youtu.be/iGGJrqscvtU |
How To Request Your Hospital Records
How To Request Your Hospital Records
Where To File Your Complaint
Where To File Your Complaint
Statistics And Public Information
Nurse Professional Standards | The Standards of Practice that Nurses are Required to Follow | https://www.bccnm.ca/Search/Pages/professional_standards.aspx |
Midwives Standards and Guidelines | The Standards and Guidelines that Midwives are Required to Follow | https://www.bccnm.ca/RM/Pages/standards_guidelines.aspx |
Canadian Medical Association Code of Ethics | The Code of Ethics that Canadian Doctors are Required to Follow | https://www.cma.ca/ethics-and-professional-affairs |
Canadian Medical Protective Association Guide To Consent | The Consent Guide for Canadian Physicians | https://www.cmpa-acpm.ca/en/advice-publications/handbooks/consent-a-guide-for-canadian-physicians |
MSC Financial Statement (Blue Book) | Check here to see how much your doctor bills to MSP every year | https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/health/practitioner-professional-resources/msp/publications |
BC Perinatal Services | We are fortunate that birth statistics in British Columbia are followed closely and are publicly available | http://www.perinatalservicesbc.ca/health-professionals/data-surveillance/surveillance/perinatal-health-reports |
Statistics And Public Informatin
Complaint Letter Writing
Learn from my own letter writing experience and complaint process.
I spent 5 months crafting a 15 page complaint letter and received my desired outcomes. My case manager at the BCCNM said that, based on my letter, I was qualified to sit on the review board because I essentially went through the same process they would be going through. The Head of Obstetrics at the hospital where I filed my complaint said that my letter showed a lot of insight and there was no lack of confidence in what I was saying. You can learn from my process and write your own letter that will be taken seriously.
A Step By Step Guide To:
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Determine where to submit your letter
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Request and interpret your hospital records
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How to research local standards and guidelines
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Address your audience
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Write a compelling letter
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Prepare for the outcome
Free Bonus:
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Medical Records Reference Sheet
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Complaint Submission Reference Sheet
Complaint Letter Writing
Other Complaint Letter Writing Resources
Patient Pathways | A Patient Advocate in BC and a great source of resources | https://patientpathways.ca/ |
Improving Birth | Safer Birth For All | https://improvingbirth.org/resources/ |
Birth Monopoly | Know Your Rights | https://birthmonopoly.com/ |
Local Therapy Resources
Pacific Postpartum Support Society | BC - Postpartum Depression and Postpartum Anxiety Support | https://postpartum.org/ |
Nicole Chambers Counselling | Maple Ridge, BC - Perinatal Mental Health and Birth Trauma Counselling | https://nicolechamberscounselling.com/ |
New Tides | Vancouver, BC - EMDR Therapy | https://www.newtides.ca/emdr |
Cedar Sisters Doula | Surrey, BC - Reiki for Trauma Healing | https://www.cedarsistersdoula.com/reiki |
Beth Scholes Counselling | Chilliwack, BC - Postpartum Counselling | https://www.bethscholes.com/ |
Well Within Counselling | Abbotsford, BC - EMDR therapy with Dr. Paula Jacobs | https://wellwithincounselling.com/ |
Local Therapy Resources
Trauma Informed Yoga
Centerpoint Yoga | White Rock, BC | https://leilastuart.com/ |
Yoga Therapy International | Vancouver, BC | http://www.yogatherapyinternational.com/yoga_therapy |
Turn The Tide Yoga & Wellness | Vancouver, BC | https://turnthetideyoga.com/ |
New Tides | Vancouver, BC | https://www.newtides.ca/individual-counselling-and-yoga |
Avant Counselling | Surrey, BC | https://www.avantcounselling.com/counselling-and-yoga |
In Balance Health | Maple Ridge, BC | https://inbalancehealth.ca/yoga-therapy-2/ |
Vidya Therapeutic Yoga | Chilliwack, BC | https://www.vidyatherapeuticyoga.com/ |
Re.Pose Therapy | Abbotsford, BC | https://www.reposetherapy.com/yoga |
Trauma Informed Yoga
Perinatal Loss
Pregnancy After Loss | Support organization | https://pregnancyafterlosssupport.org/ |
Seeking Ceremony | Using ceremonies for healing | https://www.seekingceremony.com/ |
Empty Cradle | This is a support group that meets in a church and may have religious affiliations | http://www.emptycradle.bc.ca/index.html |
Butterfly Run | Vancouver, BC | https://www.butterflyrunvancouver.com/ |
Pregnancy Loss Info | Answers to common questions | https://pregnancyloss.info/ |
BC Womens Hospital | Local Resource Page | http://www.bcwomens.ca/health-info/pregnancy-parenting/stillbirth-newborn-loss |
In Our Hearts | FaceBook Page | https://www.facebook.com/inourheartsloss |
Michelle Tyliakos | Resource Page | https://www.michelletyliakos.com/perinatal-loss-resources |
Perinatal Loss
Other Helpful Links
Other Helpful Links
Evidence Based Birth | The best place to get trustworthy, evidence based, peer reviewed and up to date information about care. | https://evidencebasedbirth.com/ |
Birth Monopoly | Know your rights | https://birthmonopoly.com/ |
Improving Birth | An organization for spreading awareness | https://improvingbirth.org/ |
MeTooInTheBirthRoom | Collecting people's traumatic birth stories | https://metoointhebirthroom.com/ |
Vancouver Birth Trauma | A website hosted by a fellow birth trauma survivor | https://www.facebook.com/VancouverBirthTrauma/ |
Birth Place Lab | Information about mistreatment in maternity units | https://www.birthplacelab.org/mistreatment/ |
RESPCCT Survey | Please consider filling out this survey about maternity patient experiences, being researched by UBC | https://www.respcct.ca/ |
Empowering Moms | The right support and education to have empowered future experiences | https://www.empoweringmomsbirth.com/ |
Local News Stories
Local News Stories (Content May Be Triggering)
11 assault charges laid against fake nurse who worked at Vancouver hospital for a year | CBC News - Sep 9, 2022 | https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/bc-fake-nurse-new-charges-1.6577641 |
Delays that led to Abbotsford hospital baby death draw apologies, criticism, changes and review | Vancouver Sun - Aug 28, 2017 | https://vancouversun.com/news/local-news/delays-that-led-to-abbotsford-hospital-baby-death-draw-apologies-criticism-changes-and-review |
More new moms speak out about traumatic labour, delivery in Fraser Health | CityNews - Jan 13, 2022 | https://vancouver.citynews.ca/2022/01/13/bc-surrey-memorial-birth-moms-trauma/ |
Surrey woman gives birth in hospital lobby after she says staff turned her away | CityNews - Jan 12, 2022 | https://vancouver.citynews.ca/2022/01/12/surrey-woman-birth-hospital-lobby/ |
'A scene from a horror movie': 9 mothers speak out about alleged mistreatment during childbirth | CBC News - Nov 7, 2016 | https://www.cbc.ca/news/health/hospital-mistreatment-stories-1.3834899 |
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