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Why Birth Trauma Matters

Why Birth Trauma Matters by Emma Svanberg

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I have just finished reading Why Birth Trauma Matters and it has given me a deep understanding of birth trauma. As a specialist provider of antenatal and postnatal yoga services this book has helped me navigate the complexities of the issues surrounding yoga for the women who attend our services and their families. It has allowed me to open up conversations in a sensitive and supportive manner. This is as much a book about the untold and the unspoken journey of pregnancy and birth for many women and their families as much as it is a mini handbook for professionals.

It is very well organised for an emotive topic such as trauma. It is written by someone who really understands the nature of birth trauma and can authoritatively talk about it. Yet the book doesn’t read like another dry discourse on trauma. Emma’s involvement with the affected families and her work in the field shines through. Her compassion for the affected is what makes this book so powerful. The book starts with clearly articulating what trauma is and how wide and complex each experience can be in each woman’s life. For those who may be new to this topic will find that Emma’s descriptions really bring home the epidemic nature of trauma in birth.

The book is also very good at bringing in the secondary victims such as fathers and the non-talked about health professionals themselves. I think in all the balance of stakeholders addressed in this book is what makes it stand out. This is not a book for just mothers or just midwives. This is a book for all of us in society about how we understand, process, communicate and heal from birth trauma.

Read this if you are looking for small steps forward for yourself as the tips and suggestions are little gems that each one of us can incorporate into our own lives and make us more aware of those going through tough times around us. Read this book if you are a health care professional who deals with pregnant and new mothers as you will find a good balance of advice, evidence and structure to have the important conversations we all need to engage in.



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