New report finds nearly half of mothers experience birth trauma

SALT LAKE CITY – Birth trauma affected up to 44% of mothers following the experience, according to a new report. 

The Kem C. Gardner Institute partnered with the Utah Department of Health and Human Services Family Division to analyze interviews with Utah birth trauma survivors to find the causes and solutions to mitigate birth trauma. 

“Birth trauma really occurs when unexpected experiences cause overwhelming, and often shattering physical and emotional pain,” said Melanie Beagley, senior health research analyst at the Gardner Institute and lead author of the report. “It results in lasting distress.” 

The research found that the biggest factors that lead to birth trauma come from care experiences. This could be an emergency cesarean delivery, obstetric emergencies or medical complications, fear for one’s own life or the newborn’s life, separation from the newborn for medical care, loss of patient autonomy, poor maternity care team communication and a lack of emotional validation.

Beagley said untreated birth trauma can have wide impacts. 

“Not just folks dwelling in these challenges themselves, but it can impact relationships, motivation, connections with children, so I think it’s important to recognize that it’s multifaceted,” Beagley said. 

Interviewees reported that it would help to have trauma-informed care, including thorough debriefs with care providers, mental health education, universal mental health checks before hospital discharge, proactive postpartum outreach, additional postpartum check-ups and more maternal mental health specialists.

Beagley encouraged pregnant and postpartum moms to use state and national resources to prevent and mitigate birth trauma. 

“Resources exist and it’s okay and it’s common and you can get support for this,” Beagley said.

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