HA as a result of PTSD after childbirth

[kmelz]

Hi everyone

Has anyone else had an experience of PTSD that has encouraged or brought on HA? I have always had anxiety in some mild form, about flying and other things. More recently after the birth of my son I have found my anxiety has been increasing and probably a left over after reacion following Post natal depression.

After a complicated birth and medical problems followed by a traumatic and emotional stay in hospital after the biggest change in my life happening all at once it has left its marks!

2 years later and I have dealt with the emotions related to the birth but am left with a HA that is fuelled by a suuden realisation of my own fragility and mortality, and an incessant fear that I will get ill and not be able to care for my son an family.

I wondered if anyone had experiences similar?

[GlassPinata]

I had my first child at sixteen and also felt somewhat traumatized by the experience afterward. But as time went on, I was able to turn this feeling into empowerment. It took awhile, and it took a conscious change in my thinking. It took realizing that childbirth is not a competitive sporting event, and there is no right or wrong way to do it. If the end result is a live baby, then you have succeeded, no matter what you had to go through to get there. You've created a whole new person, and that is amazing; miraculous. You are a strong, brave woman.
It is true that childbirth can be awful and traumatic; even more so for young girls who do not have the same perspective as older women. I was embarrassed for doctors to even look at my body at the time. It can be a horrific experience.
But you must try to empower yourself by focusing on the end result: your child.
Good luck.