Claim OwnershipThe Birth Trauma Mama Podcast
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Birth trauma is the dark and sometimes scary side of pregnancy & postpartum that no one wants to talk about. But, we're here to change that! I'm Kayleigh, a licensed therapist and birth trauma survivor, determined to bring birth trauma out of the shadows and into the light. When we talk about birth trauma, we take away its power and leave space for healing. Your birth trauma does not need to “happen for a reason." Birth trauma sucks and it’s okay to admit that. Join us as we navigate what it means to heal from birth trauma. You’ll hear from experts in the field as well as others who have experienced birth trauma. Storytelling and education are keys to raising awareness and better understanding how we heal trauma. We don’t do toxic positivity in this space, but you’ll definitely hear some dark humor. You’ll laugh and you’ll cry, but, most importantly, you’ll learn that you’re not alone and that healing is possible. Birth trauma is bullish*it, but your healing is not.
232 Episodes
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On today’s episode of The Birth Trauma Mama Podcast, Kayleigh welcomes Anya to share the story of her first birth — a pregnancy that was completely uncomplicated until a cascade of unexpected events in labor led to a traumatic emergency C-section experience. Anya opens up about feeling pressured into surgery, a frightening complication with anesthesia in the operating room, and the terror of feeling unable to breathe while fully conscious. Her story highlights how quickly birth can shift and ...
On today’s episode of The Birth Trauma Mama Podcast, Kayleigh shifts perspectives and shares her own therapy journey, not as a clinician, but as a client. After surviving a life-threatening birth experience and amniotic fluid embolism, Kayleigh opens up about the role therapy, medication, EMDR, and parts work have played in her healing. This vulnerable episode explores what trauma healing can actually look like years after the initial event and how deeper layers of trauma can surface in surpr...
On today’s episode of The Birth Trauma Mama Podcast, Leslie shares the story of her daughter Cora born via emergency C-section after a full-term pregnancy and the unimaginable grief of losing her shortly after birth. She also opens up about secondary infertility, pregnancy after loss, a traumatic COVID birth, and the long road of healing that followed. This episode is a powerful reminder that grief and trauma can coexist and that both deserve care. 🤍 In this episode, we discuss: ✨ A full-term...
✨ Special Rerelease Episode ✨ In this important conversation, Kayleigh sits down with Dr. Pria Alpern to talk about EMDR therapy and its powerful role in healing birth trauma. If you’ve ever felt stuck in intrusive memories, body flashbacks, or overwhelming anxiety after your birth experience, this episode offers both education and hope. We break down what EMDR actually is, how it works, and why it can be especially effective for perinatal trauma. In this episode, we talk about: 🧠 What EMDR (...
In this episode, Kayleigh sits down with Annie to share her powerful story of birth trauma, medical complications, and the long road of postpartum healing. Annie opens up about how quickly plans changed, the fear and confusion that followed, and what it has looked like to process trauma while learning to parent. This conversation is honest, validating, and a reminder that trauma isn’t defined by one moment. In this episode, we talk about: 🤰 A pregnancy that didn’t unfold the way she expected ...
In this episode, Kayleigh talks about something that comes up again and again in our community: how, when, and whether to share your birth trauma story. From conversations with pregnant friends to posting publicly or presenting professionally, this episode explores navigating boundaries, safety, and connection, without shame. You are allowed to share your story. And you’re also allowed to protect it. In this episode, we talk about: 🗣️ The myth of “trauma dumping” and why your story isn’t too ...
In this listener series episode, Kayleigh sits down with Nicola, a physician who shares her own experience with birth trauma, placenta previa, a massive hemorrhage, and a terrifying NICU journey with her son. Nicola opens up about what it’s like to be on the other side of medicine, how “knowing too much” can increase anxiety, and the deep loneliness that can come with traumatic birth and a NICU stay. This conversation is a must-listen for anyone navigating birth trauma, NICU life, or the long...
In this episode, Kayleigh dives into a topic we don’t talk about enough: partner and family trauma after birth. Birth trauma doesn’t just impact the birthing person; it can deeply affect the non-birthing partner and the entire family system. From helplessness in the delivery room to tension in relationships afterward, this conversation explores what we know (and what we’re still learning) about how trauma shows up for partners and what healing can look like together. In this episode, we talk ...
In this powerful and necessary episode, Ruby shares her story of birth trauma, medical dismissal, and her daughter Rumi’s diagnosis of HIE (hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy). Ruby walks us through being sent home multiple times while in labor, giving birth to a baby who was not breathing, surviving a life-threatening postpartum hemorrhage, and navigating the NICU and devastating uncertainty that followed. This conversation also names the role of racism and bias in women’s health—especially tow...
In this episode, Kayleigh sits down with Mallory—aka The Formula Mom—to talk all things formula feeding, combo feeding, and her brand-new book Bottle Service. They dive into the real, messy, emotional side of infant feeding: the lack of education around formula, the grief of not being able to breastfeed, the pressure of “at all costs” narratives, and why nuance, support, and compassion matter more than ever. This is an honest, validating conversation for anyone who has ever questioned, grieve...
In this episode, Kayleigh sits down with Abigail to talk about her first birth complicated by low amniotic fluid, a late preterm induction, and a long, emotionally exhausting NICU stay, and how that experience shaped her postpartum mental health and feeding journey. Abigail also shares her second birth story, including intentional preparation, advocacy, and what it looked like to face another NICU admission without it becoming traumatic. This episode is a powerful conversation about control, ...
In this episode of The Birth Trauma Mama Podcast, Kayleigh sits down with Derek Grassley, RN CEN, CFRN, CCRN, NRP, FP-C WP-C - a flight nurse and ECMO specialist, to break down what ECMO is, when it’s used, and why it can be life-saving for critically ill pregnant and postpartum patients. This powerful conversation pulls back the curtain on critical care, emergency transport, and the realities of caring for patients at the edge of survival. 🩺 In this episode, we cover: 🫀 What ECMO is and the ...
In this powerful Listener Series episode of The Birth Trauma Mama Podcast, Kayleigh is joined by Andrea, who shares her story of an unexpected pregnancy complicated by severe placenta accreta, a nine-hour delivery surgery, massive hemorrhage, ICU recovery, and a long, complex postpartum healing journey. Andrea walks listeners through receiving a terrifying accreta diagnosis at her anatomy scan, navigating the fear of life-threatening hemorrhage, and making the critical decision to transfer ca...
✨ Special Re-Release ✨ Parenting After Birth Trauma As our children grow, many of us begin to notice something unexpected: the ways our birth trauma continues to show up, not just in our bodies and minds, but in our parenting. In this special re-release episode of The Birth Trauma Mama Podcast, we revisit a conversation that feels just as relevant, if not more so, today. Kayleigh offers a brief but meaningful overview of what it means to parent after birth trauma, and why this topic comes up ...
In this deeply moving Listener Series episode of The Birth Trauma Mama Podcast, Kayleigh is joined by Kailee, who shares her story of infertility, recurrent placenta previa, NICU stays, medical trauma, and ultimately surviving placenta accreta with a life-saving hysterectomy. Kailee walks us through two high-risk pregnancies marked by hemorrhage, emergency cesareans, prolonged antepartum hospitalizations, NICU stays, and profound grief, alongside moments of advocacy, empowerment, and healing....
What does it really mean to give yourself permission, especially when you’ve been conditioned to put everyone else first? In this thoughtful and deeply resonant episode of The Birth Trauma Mama Podcast, Kayleigh is joined by Dr. George James, psychologist, speaker, executive coach, and author of I Give Myself Permission. With over a decade of shared history, Kayleigh and Dr. James reflect on growth, identity, trauma, and the invisible narratives that shape how we show up for ourselves, p...
In this powerful episode of The Birth Trauma Mama Podcast, Kayleigh is joined by Alex, a mom of two and congenital heart disease survivor, who shares her journey through two high-risk pregnancies and two traumatic births. Alex opens up about living with complex congenital heart defects, undergoing open-heart surgery as an infant, and entering pregnancy knowing she would always be medically high-risk. Despite meticulous care and expert providers, both pregnancies took sudden, life-threatening ...
In this clinically grounded episode of The Birth Trauma Mama Podcast, Kayleigh is joined by Kina Wolfenstein, LCSW, therapist, educator, and certified trainer in Coherence Therapy, for a deep dive into a lesser-known but incredibly powerful trauma modality. Together, they explore what coherence therapy is, how it differs from more familiar approaches like EMDR, CBT, and IFS, and why it can be especially effective for birth trauma, medical trauma, and complex attachment wounds. Kina explains h...
In this Listener Series episode, Kayleigh is joined by Bella, who courageously shares her journey through infertility, a high-risk twin pregnancy, perinatal depression, placenta previa, repeated hospitalizations, and an emergency C-section at just under 33 weeks. Bella walks us through the shock of conceiving triplets after one round of Clomid, the grief of losing one baby early in pregnancy, and the fear and uncertainty that followed as complications continued to stack. From significant blee...
What happens when something doesn’t feel right during labor or birth, but you don’t know what to do, who to call, or even what to name it? In this eye-opening episode of The Birth Trauma Mama Podcast, Kayleigh is joined by Dr. Jennifer Dunatov, a healthcare ethicist with nearly 20 years of experience working inside hospital systems. Together, they unpack what ethics really looks like in labor and delivery and why it’s a vastly underutilized (but incredibly important) resource for birthing peo...
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