National PTSD Day: Pregnancy & Birth of My Second Child

When it was Fibromyalgia Awareness Day last year, I invited another blogger onto my blog to guest post and talk about her experience of Fibromyalgia and share some tips for when you receive a diagnosis. I have no experience of the condition myself, so I wanted to hand my platform over to someone that did. Today (27th June 2022) is National PTSD Day and I’ve decided to do the same.

I wasn’t about to write some generic post with tips and tricks on how to deal with PTSD that anyone can find on the internet. I have no experience of PTSD, so it wouldn’t have been fair and it would have been an utterly pointless exercise. Instead, we need to hear from REAL people who have REAL experiences. 

So I’m thrilled to welcome Jade from Mum Life and Me onto my blog today for National PTSD Day to share her story about PTSD as well as some things that have helped her with her own situation (which might help you, too).

Jade talks mostly about mental health and motherhood on her blog, with a great mix of content including self care for busy moms, a discussion on whether cockapoos are good with children, her experience of pre/postnatal anxiety and depression and more. Jade experienced trauma during the birth of her first child, which has led to PTSD.

So for National PTSD Day today, Jade is here to tell her story and share some tips with you.

Trigger warning for birth trauma.

I experienced trauma during the birth of my first child, Isla, back in 2014, and as a result suffered with Postnatal Anxiety and Depression. As the years went by, I was longing for another child, and a sibling for Isla. However, I couldn’t get what happened out of my head.

I would panic at the thought of it and it would trigger me to have flashbacks and nightmares. But my desire to have another child was too overbearing so we decided to try for another baby. 5 years after the birth of my first child, I fell pregnant.

I always envisioned having a natural birth. I read about so many women who turned to Hypnobirthing after a c section and had wonderful natural births, and I thought I’d give it a try. However, as my due date was approaching, I started having panic attacks and flashbacks.

I just couldn’t get over the huge fear I had inside me, so I booked in for an elective C Section. This isn’t the easy way out by any means, and I was very scared leading up to it and while on the operating table, but a few coping strategies helped me to stay relatively calm and focused.

I also use these methods on a daily basis so I don’t relapse:

Meditation: I try to meditate for 10-15 minutes on a daily basis. I particularly like to listen to guided meditations on YouTube and Insight Timer which you can do for free. My personal favourites are Boho Beautiful Life and The Well-being Blogger.

Prayer: I find saying a prayer works wonders. It sounds a bit strange but I feel as though there’s a higher force that has by back. I try to start by saying thank you for all that I have, as it’s important to have gratitude. Then I will say, “Please remove the anxiety, fear and negativity. Please take it away.”

Affirmations: I do self love affirmations every day. They seem to kick start my subconscious into believing it to be true. Here are the affirmations I will use:

• I am strong
• I am confident
• I am capable
• I am worthy
• I can do this

Journaling: As soon as I get up on a morning. I will write whatever comes into my head. It seems to help “declutter” the thoughts so I can’t start fresh for the day ahead.

Yoga: When I really get into it, it feels like I’m moving the energy all around my body and I feel so calm and relaxed afterwards.

Walking: I enjoy walking my dog most evenings, especially now the evenings are getting lighter. The walk is great exercise too and makes me feel good afterwards.

Connecting with nature: While on a walk, I like to take in the sounds of the birds tweeting, the water trickling and the trees blowing in the wind. I find it really calming just to be present in the moment.

It’s important to keep doing these things on a daily basis. If, for whatever reason I don’t do them, I will have a relapse.

Thank you so much for Jade for sharing her story on National PTSD Day. If you’re not familiar with PTSD, check out this page for more information about the disorder. If you feel like you might be suffering from PTSD, please speak to your GP or a mental health professional.

If you have PTSD, what coping tips would you recommend to others?