Trauma-Informed Care for Birthworkers

Child sexual abuse (CSA) affects approximately one in three women. It’s safe to assume, therefore, that about a third of the women you care for will have some experience of sexual abuse. This trauma means they have additional needs during pregnancy, labour, birth, and the post-partum period.

Given this, it is astonishing that trauma-informed care does not form part of the core training offered to birthworkers in Ireland. I am, however, delighted to be in a position to address this need with my two-day workshop which deals with the following:

• What is Child Sexual Abuse (CSA)?
• The Impact of Child Sexual Abuse on Pregnancy
• Dealing with Disclosure
• Issues of Control
• Power
• Challenges in Labour and Birth
• Triggers
• Clinical Challenges in Labour, and Possible Solutions
• Postpartum Issues
• Communication – Verbal, and Non-Verbal
• PTSD and Other Postpartum Mood Disorders
• The Potential For Healing
• Self-Help & Self-Care
• When the Birthworker is also a Survivor

By the end of the two days, you will have awareness of how birth can be an empowering experience for women who have survived sexual abuse – reducing their trauma and the impact of long-term negative side-effects. These negative effects can include things like

- Difficulties with mother-child bonding

- PTSD

- PND

- Increased risk of suicide / suicidal ideation

- Deterioration of Mother’s relationship with partner/wider family/friends

- Transfer of trauma from Mother to Baby/ies

The NMBI has awarded the workshop 14 CEU, and certificates will be awarded at the end of the second day.