Previous traumatic birth: an impetus for requested cesarean birth

Patti Spiegelberg Gardner1

  • 1P atti S piegelberg G ardner is a certified nurse midwife and an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant practicing at United Medical Center in Cheyenne, Wyoming.

This paper addresses the meaningfulness of the childbearing experience and how a traumatic occurrence can affect women for years into the future. Every woman deserves to have a fulfilling childbearing experience, even if it may be different from the one she imagined. This paper examines the phenomenon of previous traumatic birth and its potential effects on choices during subsequent pregnancies. Discussion includes how childbirth educators can assist women in healing from past birth traumas and preventing them from recurring.

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