Can childbirth cause PTSD?

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 19:00:00 +0000

It's the P in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) that seems to trip people up. The idea that when the crisis has passed and you're ostensibly well and safe, you might still be jumpy and tearful, anxious and withdrawn. What's the matter with you, anyway? Everything is OK, isn't it? But post-traumatic stress doesn't work that way. The body doesn't care if the mind tells it there's no danger. The body doesn't care if friends and commenters on the Internet say that trauma is only for war veterans and violent crime survivors, not people who've endured otherwise survivable events. Or, as the marvelous writer Jessica Valenti explains in a heartening and incredibly brave piece about "Living in the shaky place" on Monday, "The funny thing about PTSD is that it’s a sneaky fucker."

Opening up about the PTSD that hit her after an emergency C-section and the premature birth of her daughter, Valenti writes: "The eight weeks that Layla was in the hospital – while the emergency was still in full force – I was fine." Only later did the flashbacks, the mini-blackouts and sleep deprivation kick in. Rare restful nights were no consolation, because that's when the nighmares arrived.

Salon.com > Childbirth

Can childbirth cause PTSD?