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If your new baby sustained an injury during labor and delivery, you may have a challenging road ahead of you. Your little one might have unique health concerns that need extra care, but as you navigate the next steps, don’t forget about your own mental well-being.
Birth trauma and injuries have lasting effects on parents’ mental health. What psychological impacts could you experience after a difficult delivery?
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
A childbirth experience that results in lasting injury to the baby is traumatic by definition. New parents could experience symptoms of PTSD when they think about the ordeal. Symptoms may include, but are not limited to:
- Constantly being on the lookout for danger
- Feelings of guilt or shame—could you have done something to prevent this?
- A heightened startle response
- Engaging in reckless or self-destructive behavior
While protecting your baby is a perfectly reasonable priority, be on the lookout for paranoid behavior in yourself or your partner.
Post-Partum Depression (PPD)
A new mother who’s recently given birth to a baby with a birth injury is at increased risk for post-partum depression. She may have difficulty bonding with her baby or interacting meaningfully with her partner. Because she is directly involved in the childbirth process, she may also feel as though the injury is her fault.
If your partner is a new mom experiencing PPD after a traumatic birth experience, talk to an Idaho birth injury attorney about what you can do. If the injury was caused by the obstetrician’s recklessness or negligence, you may have some recourse to get compensation via a lawsuit.
Relationship Stress
Committed couples often report some strain on their relationship after having a baby with a birth injury. The partner who gave birth may self-isolate, leaving the other partner feeling abandoned and unsupported during a difficult time.
Consider visiting a relationship counselor together to talk through complicated feelings after a birth injury. Lean on one another as a source of strength instead of hiding from one another out of shame; face this new experience as a team.
Birth injuries certainly affect a child’s health in the long term, but they also impact parents’ mental health in ways that are difficult to ignore. If you recently had a baby with a birth trauma or injury, talk to the team at Rossman Law Group about any legal recourse you may have.
