Rebecca's story is one of extraordinary resilience. What began as a routine induction quickly turned into a life-threatening postpartum emergency, followed by the discovery of a rare orbital tumor, multiple surgeries, and a long road through PTSD and healing. In this heartfelt Listener Series episode, Rebecca shares how community, therapy, faith, and giving back helped her reclaim her life after birth trauma. 

If you've ever felt like your trauma became your identity, this conversation offers hope that healing is possible, even if it takes time.

In this episode, we discuss:

✨ Rebecca's difficult second pregnancy and the unexpected vision changes that led to the discovery of an orbital tumor

🩸 A carefully planned induction that quickly turned into a life-threatening postpartum hemorrhage and uterine rupture

🏥 Emergency surgeries, an ICU stay, blood transfusions, and surviving a near-death experience

💔 Processing PTSD, memory loss, and the emotional challenges of postpartum recovery while facing additional medical diagnoses

👶 Grieving the postpartum experience she expected while learning to navigate motherhood after trauma

💛 The importance of trauma-informed care, supportive healthcare providers, and compassionate family support

🧠 How therapy, trauma work, and writing a letter to her birth trauma became turning points in her healing journey

🩸 Why Rebecca now volunteers with the American Red Cross and advocates for blood donation after surviving because of blood donors

Whether you're newly navigating birth trauma or years into your healing journey, Rebecca's story is a powerful reminder that healing doesn't happen overnight, but it does happen.

For more birth trauma content and a community full of love and support, head to my Instagram at @thebirthtrauma_mama.

Learn more about the support and services I offer through The Birth Trauma Mama Therapy & Support Services.

Disclaimer - The views and opinions expressed by guests on The Birth Trauma Mama Podcast are their own and do not necessarily reflect the official stance, views, or positions of The Birth Trauma Mama Podcast. The content shared is for informational purposes only and should not be considered as professional or medical advice and/or endorsement.

This week's episode is a solo conversation about one of the most complicated parts of healing after birth trauma: anniversaries.

Whether it's your baby's birthday, the day you were admitted to the hospital, your NICU discharge, or another date tied to your experience, trauma anniversaries can bring up overwhelming emotions, even years later. Kayleigh shares why these reactions are so common, what is actually happening in the nervous system, and practical ways to care for yourself as these significant dates approach.

If you've ever wondered why your baby's birthday feels both joyful and heartbreaking, or felt guilty for dreading a day that's "supposed" to be celebrated, this episode is a reminder that you're not broken, and you're certainly not alone.

In This Episode, We Discuss:

🎂 Why birthdays and birth trauma anniversaries can feel so emotionally complicated

🧠 How the nervous system recognizes trauma anniversaries without needing a calendar

🌡️ Why certain seasons, weather, smells, music, or holidays can trigger trauma responses

💙 The difference between remembering your trauma and your body reliving it

😔 Common anniversary reactions, including anxiety, irritability, nightmares, emotional numbness, and intrusive memories

🏥 Why dates beyond birthdays, like hospital admissions, NICU stays, due dates, and holidays, can also become trauma anniversaries

🌊 Why feeling triggered around an anniversary does not mean you're moving backward in your healing

🤍 Holding two truths at once: deeply loving your child while grieving how they entered the world

💔 Why guilt often accompanies difficult emotions on your child's birthday

🫶 Giving yourself permission to honor your own experience without taking away from your child's celebration

📅 Creating intentional space before or on the anniversary to process your emotions

📝 Practical ideas for self-care, reflection, journaling, therapy, and meaningful rituals

👨‍👩‍👧 Communicating your needs to family and friends before birthday celebrations

💬 Preparing responses to unhelpful comments or toxic positivity

🌈 Grounding techniques to use if you become emotionally activated during celebrations

🎗️ Finding meaning through advocacy, fundraising, donations, or sharing your story

✨ Why birthdays often become a little lighter over time—but may always hold mixed emotions

❤️ Learning to celebrate your child's life while honoring your own survival

Key Takeaway

Birth trauma anniversaries are incredibly difficult because they ask us to hold joy and grief at the same time. Your nervous system isn't choosing to make birthdays hard, it is responding to a deeply significant traumatic experience. Healing isn't about forcing yourself to feel only happiness. It's about creating space for both celebration and sorrow, caring for yourself with compassion, and trusting that over time, the weight of these anniversaries can become a little easier to carry.

Resources Mentioned

🔹 Birth Trauma Mama Trigger Coping Guide

🔹 Trauma Grounding Techniques

🔹 EMDR Therapy

🔹 Trauma-Informed Mental Health Support

🔹 The Amniotic Fluid Embolism Foundation

🔹 Birth Trauma Mama Podcast Episodes on Healing & Trauma Triggers

For more birth trauma content and a community full of love and support, head to my Instagram at @thebirthtrauma_mama.

Learn more about the support and services I offer through The Birth Trauma Mama Therapy & Support Services.

Disclaimer - The views and opinions expressed by guests on The Birth Trauma Mama Podcast are their own and do not necessarily reflect the official stance, views, or positions of The Birth Trauma Mama Podcast. The content shared is for informational purposes only and should not be considered as professional or medical advice and/or endorsement.

In this heartfelt listener story, Liana shares how three very different pregnancies and births each shaped her experience of motherhood in unexpected ways. After developing gestational hypertension that progressed to postpartum preeclampsia with her first baby, she found herself navigating the uncertainty of a premature birth and NICU stay, all while trying to understand what had happened to her own body.

Years later, another unexpected NICU stay with her third baby brought many of those emotions rushing back. Liana reflects on how trauma can resurface long after the initial event, why comparing our stories to others can minimize our own experiences, and how finding the birth trauma community finally gave her permission to recognize that what she lived through truly mattered.

In This Episode, We Discuss:

🩺 Developing gestational hypertension during her first pregnancy

📈 How elevated blood pressure progressed into postpartum preeclampsia

👶 Delivering a late-preterm baby and navigating an unexpected NICU stay

💊 Recovering physically while trying to care for a newborn in the NICU

🏥 The emotional experience of being discharged home without her baby

💔 Feeling rushed through postpartum recovery while still processing everything that had happened

🤍 How survival mode delayed her ability to recognize the emotional impact of her birth experience

👩‍👧 Welcoming additional children while carrying the memories of previous pregnancies

🚼 Facing another unexpected NICU stay with her third baby

🌊 Why a new medical experience can reactivate unresolved birth trauma

💭 Realizing years later that her experience had been traumatic—even though everyone ultimately went home healthy

🫶 The importance of having providers who acknowledge both physical recovery and emotional healing

👩‍⚕️ Why postpartum mental health deserves just as much attention as physical health

🎙️ Finding comfort through hearing other parents' birth trauma stories

🌱 Learning that trauma doesn't have to be "the worst" to deserve support

💙 How therapy and community became important parts of her healing journey

✨ Giving herself permission to stop minimizing her own experience

❤️ Why every parent's birth story deserves to be heard and validated

Key Takeaway

Liana's story is a powerful reminder that trauma isn't measured by how long your NICU stay was, how early your baby arrived, or whether everyone ultimately came home healthy. Trauma is about how an experience impacts you. Healing often begins when we stop comparing our stories to others and allow ourselves to acknowledge that our experiences mattered, too. Every parent deserves compassionate postpartum care that supports both their physical recovery and emotional well-being.

Resources Mentioned

🔹 Dear NICU Mama

🔹 Birth Trauma Mama Community

🔹 Therapy & Mental Health Support

🔹 Postpartum Mental Health Resources

🔹 NICU Parent Support

🔹 Preeclampsia Education & Awareness

For more birth trauma content and a community full of love and support, head to my Instagram at @thebirthtrauma_mama.

Learn more about the support and services I offer through The Birth Trauma Mama Therapy & Support Services.

Disclaimer - The views and opinions expressed by guests on The Birth Trauma Mama Podcast are their own and do not necessarily reflect the official stance, views, or positions of The Birth Trauma Mama Podcast. The content shared is for informational purposes only and should not be considered as professional or medical advice and/or endorsement.

This week's episode is a solo conversation tackling one of the most common, and most painful, themes that emerges after a traumatic birth: self-blame.

If you've ever found yourself replaying your birth and thinking, "I should have spoken up," "I should have known something was wrong," or "My body failed my baby," this episode is for you. Kayleigh explores why these thoughts are such a common response to trauma, how our nervous systems use self-blame as a way to create a sense of safety and control, and why simply hearing "it's not your fault" often isn't enough to create lasting healing.

Rather than trying to convince you to stop blaming yourself, this episode invites you to approach these thoughts with curiosity, compassion, and a deeper understanding of the neurobiology of trauma.

In This Episode, We Discuss:

🧠 Why self-blame is one of the most common responses after birth trauma

💔 The difference between knowing something wasn't your fault and feeling like it was

🛡️ How trauma disrupts our sense of safety and predictability

🎭 Why self-blame can create the illusion of control after a traumatic experience

🧩 The role hindsight plays in rewriting our birth stories

⏪ Why judging your past self with information you only learned later is so unfair

❄️ Understanding freeze, fawn, compliance, and shutdown as normal survival responses

🤍 Why your nervous system was trying to protect you, not failing you

📋 The impossible expectations so many parents place on themselves after birth trauma

👩‍⚕️ Why you were never meant to have the medical knowledge of your healthcare providers

💭 Exploring the question: "What was available to me in that moment?"

🌱 Learning to replace judgment with curiosity about your trauma responses

🪞 How speaking to your past self with compassion can become part of the healing process

✨ Separating the facts of your birth from the trauma story your brain created afterward

🧠 How therapies like EMDR, Internal Family Systems (IFS), Somatic Experiencing, and Coherence Therapy can help process trauma

💙 Borrowing compassion through the perspective of someone who loves you

🌈 Why healing doesn't require believing you handled everything perfectly

❤️ Finding gratitude for the ways your nervous system helped you survive

Key Takeaway

Self-blame is often not evidence that you failed; it's evidence that your nervous system is trying to make sense of something overwhelming. Trauma changes the way we interpret our experiences, and healing begins not by arguing with those thoughts, but by becoming curious about where they come from and what purpose they've served. You don't have to force yourself to believe everything happened for a reason or that you did everything perfectly. Sometimes healing starts with offering the version of yourself who lived through the trauma the same compassion you would offer someone you love.

Resources Mentioned

🔹 EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing)

🔹 Internal Family Systems (IFS)

🔹 Somatic Experiencing

🔹 Coherence Therapy

🔹 Trauma-Informed Therapy

🔹 Birth Trauma Mama Podcast Episodes on Healing & EMDR

For more birth trauma content and a community full of love and support, head to my Instagram at @thebirthtrauma_mama.

Learn more about the support and services I offer through The Birth Trauma Mama Therapy & Support Services.

Disclaimer - The views and opinions expressed by guests on The Birth Trauma Mama Podcast are their own and do not necessarily reflect the official stance, views, or positions of The Birth Trauma Mama Podcast. The content shared is for informational purposes only and should not be considered as professional or medical advice and/or endorsement.

In this moving listener story, Carmen shares her complicated journey through pregnancy loss, recurrent miscarriage, TFMR (termination for medical reasons), traumatic births, emergency deliveries, and ultimately building the family she always dreamed of. As a mother of 12 babies, five Earthside and seven who are no longer physically here, Carmen offers a powerful perspective on grief, resilience, and what it means to continue mothering children who have died.

Throughout this conversation, Carmen opens up about the realities of pregnancy after loss, the emotional toll of carrying grief through multiple pregnancies, and the complicated intersection of gratitude and trauma. Her story is one of profound love, heartbreaking decisions, and the ongoing process of learning how to carry both joy and sorrow at the same time.

In This Episode, We Discuss:

👶 Carmen's first pregnancy and the devastating experience of a missed miscarriage

💔 How pregnancy loss shattered her sense of safety and changed the way she viewed future pregnancies

🩺 Navigating recurrent pregnancy loss and seeking answers through fertility care

❤️ Receiving a devastating prenatal diagnosis during a long-awaited pregnancy

🧬 Learning that her daughter had multiple complex medical conditions, including severe congenital heart defects and DeGeorge syndrome

🤍 Making the heartbreaking decision to pursue TFMR after extensive research and consultation with specialists

👼 Meeting and saying goodbye to her daughter, Ayabelle

📸 Why sharing photos and stories of babies who have died can be an important part of parenting after loss

🌈 The complicated emotions that accompany pregnancy after loss

👶 Welcoming her first living child while carrying immense fear and unresolved grief

🚑 Experiencing multiple emergency deliveries and traumatic birth experiences

🩸 Surviving placental abruptions that threatened both her life and her babies' lives

🏥 The reality of repeatedly entering pregnancy and birth expecting the worst-case scenario

💙 Losing another son, Jude, after receiving a prenatal diagnosis incompatible with life

🌧️ How grief can resurface even years after a loss

🧠 Recognizing delayed trauma and grief long after surviving difficult pregnancies and births

👩‍⚕️ The importance of providers asking not only how patients are doing physically, but emotionally

🌟 The healing power of sharing stories and connecting with other loss parents

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Raising living children while honoring the siblings who are no longer here

🎗️ Creating community through pregnancy and infant loss advocacy work

✨ Learning how grief evolves rather than disappears

❤️ Holding gratitude and heartbreak at the same time

Key Takeaway

Carmen's story is a powerful reminder that trauma and grief are often rooted in love. Her journey demonstrates that it is possible to build a beautiful life while still carrying profound loss, and that healing doesn't mean leaving grief behind. Whether you're navigating pregnancy loss, TFMR, birth trauma, or parenting after loss, Carmen's story offers validation, hope, and the reminder that every baby matters and every story deserves to be remembered.

Topics Covered

🔹 Pregnancy Loss

🔹 Recurrent Miscarriage

🔹 Missed Miscarriage

🔹 TFMR (Termination for Medical Reasons)

🔹 Pregnancy After Loss

🔹 Birth Trauma

🔹 Placental Abruption

🔹 Emergency C-Sections

🔹 Infant Loss

🔹 Maternal Mental Health

🔹 Grief & Healing

🔹 Parenting After Loss

🔹 Pregnancy & Infant Loss Advocacy

Memorable Quote

✨ "Trauma isn't nothing, it's love that was shocked."

You can follow along with Carmen and her family's journey on Instagram: @adiarytoourbabies and check out their book HERE.

For more birth trauma content and a community full of love and support, head to my Instagram at @thebirthtrauma_mama.

Learn more about the support and services I offer through The Birth Trauma Mama Therapy & Support Services.

Disclaimer - The views and opinions expressed by guests on The Birth Trauma Mama Podcast are their own and do not necessarily reflect the official stance, views, or positions of The Birth Trauma Mama Podcast. The content shared is for informational purposes only and should not be considered as professional or medical advice and/or endorsement.

We often use the terms birth trauma, perinatal trauma, and PTSD interchangeably, but they're not actually the same thing.

In this episode closing out PTSD Awareness Month, Kayleigh breaks down the important differences between:

• Birth and perinatal trauma as an experience
• Post-traumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) that may not meet diagnostic criteria
• Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as a clinical diagnosis

Understanding these distinctions matters, not because one experience is "worse" than another, but because too many parents are left believing they aren't struggling "enough" to deserve support.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• Why birth trauma is not the same as a PTSD diagnosis
• The DSM-5 criteria for PTSD and how they apply to childbirth
• Why many parents experience significant trauma symptoms without meeting full diagnostic criteria
• The prevalence of birth trauma, PTSS, and PTSD after childbirth
• Why current postpartum screening often misses trauma entirely
• How hypervigilance, intrusive memories, avoidance, nightmares, and nervous system changes can show up after birth
• Why relational trauma and interactions with healthcare providers can profoundly shape whether a birth becomes traumatic
• Why every parent experiencing trauma symptoms deserves care—regardless of diagnosis

Whether you identify with birth trauma, postpartum PTSD, or simply know something changed after your birth experience, this episode is a reminder that your pain doesn't have to fit neatly into a diagnostic box to be real.

Resources Mentioned

• Diagnostic criteria for PTSD (DSM-5)
• Research on childbirth-related PTSD prevalence
• Research on severe maternal morbidity, provider communication, and birth trauma
• CDC report on mistreatment during maternity care

Connect with Kayleigh

If this episode resonated with you, share it with another parent who may need to hear that healing isn't reserved only for those with a diagnosis.

Follow along for more education and support around birth trauma, postpartum PTSD, and nervous system healing.

For more birth trauma content and a community full of love and support, head to my Instagram at @thebirthtrauma_mama.

Learn more about the support and services I offer through The Birth Trauma Mama Therapy & Support Services.

Disclaimer - The views and opinions expressed by guests on The Birth Trauma Mama Podcast are their own and do not necessarily reflect the official stance, views, or positions of The Birth Trauma Mama Podcast. The content shared is for informational purposes only and should not be considered as professional or medical advice and/or endorsement.

Kayleigh sits down with her former therapist, Hilary Waller, to reflect on the years they spent working together after Kayleigh's amniotic fluid embolism (AFE), birth trauma, and the life-altering experiences that followed. Together, they explore the therapeutic relationship, what healing actually looks like over time, and how trauma recovery often evolves from surviving to grieving to fully living again.

This conversation offers a rare behind-the-scenes look at therapy from both the client and therapist perspective. Hilary shares insights into trauma recovery, attachment, grief, identity, and the ways healing can continue long after the most acute pain has passed. It's an honest, thoughtful discussion about what it means to rebuild a life after trauma, and how relationships can become a powerful part of that process.

In This Episode, We Discuss:

🧠 Why Kayleigh invited her former therapist onto the podcast

🤝 The unique and often misunderstood nature of the therapeutic relationship

💙 How therapists carry memories of clients long after treatment ends

🌪️ Processing life after an amniotic fluid embolism (AFE) and severe birth trauma

🪞 Looking back on years of trauma recovery from both the therapist and client perspective

😢 The difference between trauma work and grief work

🌱 Moving from being defined by trauma to integrating it into your story

✨ The shift from surviving an experience to building a meaningful life afterward

👶 Exploring Kayleigh's fears and reflections about how trauma may have impacted her son

❤️ The healing power of finding adaptive and compassionate perspectives on difficult experiences

👨‍👩‍👦 The special role family members can play during and after traumatic events

🔍 Why trauma survivors often search for connection with the people who cared for them during a crisis

🏥 The complex emotions that can emerge when relationships with healthcare providers suddenly end

💭 Attachment, loss, and making meaning after life-threatening medical experiences

🌈 The process of integrating seemingly conflicting emotions like gratitude, grief, joy, and loss

🫶 What makes a therapeutic relationship feel safe, healing, and transformative

📈 Watching healing unfold over years rather than weeks or months

🎙️ How Birth Trauma Mama grew alongside Kayleigh's own healing journey

💡 What therapists wish more people understood about trauma recovery

For more birth trauma content and a community full of love and support, head to my Instagram at @thebirthtrauma_mama.

Learn more about the support and services I offer through The Birth Trauma Mama Therapy & Support Services.

Disclaimer - The views and opinions expressed by guests on The Birth Trauma Mama Podcast are their own and do not necessarily reflect the official stance, views, or positions of The Birth Trauma Mama Podcast. The content shared is for informational purposes only and should not be considered as professional or medical advice and/or endorsement.

In this listener story, Jess shares her experience with preeclampsia that went from seemingly mild and manageable to severe in a matter of days. As a first-time mom with an otherwise uncomplicated pregnancy, she found herself blindsided by a diagnosis she knew very little about and quickly facing decisions she never imagined having to make.

Jess opens up about the fear, confusion, and lack of education she encountered throughout her pregnancy, the emotional toll of a prolonged hospital stay, and the premature birth of her daughter at just 31 weeks. She also shares the guilt, grief, and healing that followed, along with the resources and support that helped her process her birth trauma and NICU journey.

Jess's story is a powerful reminder that preeclampsia can happen to anyone and that education matters. Her experience highlights the importance of listening to your body, advocating for answers, and ensuring patients receive clear information about potential pregnancy complications. Most importantly, her story reminds parents that preeclampsia is not their fault, their bodies did not fail them, and healing is possible even after a traumatic pregnancy, birth, and NICU experience.

In This Episode, We Discuss:

👣 The first symptoms that something might be wrong, including sudden swelling and elevated blood pressure

🧪 Protein in the urine, 24-hour urine collections, and the early signs of preeclampsia

😔 Feeling blindsided by a diagnosis she knew very little about

📈 How quickly preeclampsia can progress from mild to severe

🚑 Being unexpectedly transferred by ambulance to a higher-level hospital at just 30 weeks pregnant

⏳ Living in the uncertainty of daily "watch and wait" decisions

👶 Learning what premature birth and NICU life might actually look like

❤️ The impact of compassionate providers who took the time to explain what was happening

😢 Watching other families leave the hospital with their babies while waiting for her own outcome

🌟 Making the difficult decision to move forward with induction at 31 weeks

👩‍🍼 Delivering her daughter vaginally after a rapid induction

🤍 Feeling emotionally numb after birth and why that response is so common after trauma

🏥 Beginning a lengthy NICU journey while simultaneously recovering from a complicated pregnancy

💔 The guilt many parents feel when their babies arrive prematurely

🧠 Healing through therapy, education, and connecting with other birth trauma survivors

👥 Finding support through community and realizing she was not alone in her experience

✨ How a post-trauma consultation with a maternal-fetal medicine specialist became one of the most healing parts of her journey

Resources Mentioned

🔹 The Preeclampsia Foundation

🔹 Dear NICU Mama

🔹 March of Dimes

🔹 Birth Trauma Mama Support Groups

🔹 Therapy & Mental Health Support

🔹 Maternal-Fetal Medicine (MFM) Preconception Counseling

For more birth trauma content and a community full of love and support, head to my Instagram at @thebirthtrauma_mama.

Learn more about the support and services I offer through The Birth Trauma Mama Therapy & Support Services.

Disclaimer - The views and opinions expressed by guests on The Birth Trauma Mama Podcast are their own and do not necessarily reflect the official stance, views, or positions of The Birth Trauma Mama Podcast. The content shared is for informational purposes only and should not be considered as professional or medical advice and/or endorsement.

This week’s episode is a little different than our usual conversations about birth trauma, healing, and maternal mental health.

Kayleigh is taking listeners behind the scenes of her family's recent trip to Disney World and Universal Orlando, a trip she never expected would become one of their favorite family experiences. As a self-proclaimed non-theme-park expert, Kayleigh shares the planning strategies, lessons learned, and practical tips that helped make the trip successful for their family.

Whether you're considering a Disney or Universal vacation, feeling overwhelmed by the planning process, or simply curious about how the trip went, this episode offers an honest look at navigating theme parks with a deeply feeling kiddo while managing parental expectations, anxiety, and sensory overwhelm.

Key Takeaway

This episode is a reminder that parenting after trauma can still include joy, adventure, and unexpected moments of delight. While birth trauma may always be part of our stories, it doesn't have to define every chapter. Sometimes healing looks like watching your child experience something magical, realizing how far you've come, and creating new memories together.

Tips Shared in This Episode

🔹 Universal Express Passes

🔹 Disney Lightning Lanes

🔹 Standby Skipper App

🔹 Midday Pool Breaks

🔹 Sit-Down Lunch Reservations

🔹 Cooling Towels & Portable Fans

🔹 Lollipops for Long Lines

🔹 Choosing Parks Based on Your Child's Interests

🔹 Keeping Expectations Flexible

For more birth trauma content and a community full of love and support, head to my Instagram at @thebirthtrauma_mama.

Learn more about the support and services I offer through The Birth Trauma Mama Therapy & Support Services.

Disclaimer - The views and opinions expressed by guests on The Birth Trauma Mama Podcast are their own and do not necessarily reflect the official stance, views, or positions of The Birth Trauma Mama Podcast. The content shared is for informational purposes only and should not be considered as professional or medical advice and/or endorsement.

In this heartfelt episode, Kirsten shares the story of her unexpected twin pregnancy, a sudden placental abruption at just 27 weeks, and the terrifying emergency C-section that changed everything in a matter of minutes. Far from home and under general anesthesia, Kirsten woke up to a reality she never imagined: two extremely premature babies fighting for their lives in the NICU.

Kirsten opens up about the grief, fear, and disconnection she experienced during those early days, as well as the challenges of navigating a lengthy NICU stay. She also shares how family support, community, faith, and time helped her process the trauma and begin healing. This episode is a powerful reminder that grief and gratitude can exist side by side, and that healing doesn't require forgetting what happened.

In This Episode, We Discuss:

👶 Finding out she was unexpectedly pregnant with twins shortly after getting married

🩺 A healthy twin pregnancy that suddenly changed at 27 weeks due to a placental abruption

🚑 Being rushed to the hospital while visiting family out of state

🩸 Experiencing severe blood loss and an emergency C-section under general anesthesia

💔 Waking up after birth without knowing what had happened or whether her babies were alive

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 The emotional experience of becoming parents in the midst of a medical crisis

🏥 Meeting her premature twins for the first time in the NICU

😭 Feeling disconnected, fearful, and overwhelmed during the early days of motherhood

🤍 Why struggling to bond immediately with your baby does not mean you love them any less

🫶 The challenges of navigating life with two babies born at just 27 weeks gestation

👩‍⚕️ The incredible impact of compassionate NICU nurses, volunteers, and medical staff

🎄 Spending the holiday season in the NICU while feeling like the outside world kept moving on

🌟 The importance of family support during a prolonged hospitalization

🏡 Bringing her twins home healthy just one day before their due date

😔 The unexpected emotional challenges that surfaced after NICU discharge

💭 Processing grief, trauma, and the reality that healing doesn't happen the moment you leave the hospital

✨ Learning that grief and gratitude can coexist

💪 Finding confidence in her own strength and resilience as a mother

❤️ How faith, time, and community helped her move toward healing

Key Takeaway

Kirsten's story highlights the reality that surviving a traumatic birth and NICU experience is only part of the journey. Healing often continues long after discharge, and it's okay to hold both gratitude for positive outcomes and grief for what was lost. Her story offers hope to parents navigating trauma, reminding them that they are not alone and that healing can happen one step at a time.

Topics Covered

🔹 Twin Pregnancy

🔹 Placental Abruption

🔹 Emergency C-Section

🔹 Premature Birth

🔹 NICU Journey

🔹 Birth Trauma

🔹 Maternal Mental Health

🔹 Parent-Infant Bonding

🔹 NICU Discharge

🔹 Healing After Trauma

You can follow and connect with Kirsten on Instagram: @kirstenzhuravlev

For more birth trauma content and a community full of love and support, head to my Instagram at @thebirthtrauma_mama.

Learn more about the support and services I offer through The Birth Trauma Mama Therapy & Support Services.

Disclaimer - The views and opinions expressed by guests on The Birth Trauma Mama Podcast are their own and do not necessarily reflect the official stance, views, or positions of The Birth Trauma Mama Podcast. The content shared is for informational purposes only and should not be considered as professional or medical advice and/or endorsement.