MemorialCare - Your Guide to Postpartum and Newborn Care

Acute Stress Disorder and PTSD

An unexpected complication during your birth experience can be scary and overwhelming. When unexpected things happen during the delivery of your baby, there are often lingering questions about why things happened the way that they did. We are available to provide answers to help you understand your experience, and to support you and your family.

ACUTE STRESS DISORDER It is not uncommon after having a baby for women to have emotional changes. If you have experienced an unexpected birth complication, you might feel added stress. This experience can sometimes lead to a condition called Acute Stress Disorder. You may feel: • Frightened – You may have experienced scary things • Disconnected – You might feel like what happened isn’t “real” and not possible • Surprised by what you’re feeling – A sound or smell might trigger an overwhelming reaction or make you feel like you’re reliving something that already happened. Acute Stress Disorder is a normal physiological response. It is how our brains and bodies react to trauma. The symptoms usually appear within a month and get better over the next few weeks.

PTSD Occasionally, if these symptoms persist, a woman may develop postpartum post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) following childbirth. Symptoms of postpartum PTSD are grouped into three types and include: • Intrusive memories – Having flashbacks or feeling like you’re reliving the experience over and over again. • Avoidance & Numbing – Trying not to feel the intense emotions that you fear you might.

• Increased Anxiety & Emotional Arousal - Feeling like you can’t relax because something bad might happen.

It is important to know that acute stress disorder and postpartum PTSD are temporary and treatable with professional help. If you are experiencing any of these symptoms know that it is not your fault, you are not to blame, and you will feel better.

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Your Guide to Postpartum and Newborn Care

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