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The Birth Trauma Mama Podcast
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.
The Birth Trauma Mama Podcast
Ep. 257: Self Blame After Birth Trauma
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This week's episode is a solo conversation tackling one of the most common, and most painful, themes that emerges after a traumatic birth: self-blame.
If you've ever found yourself replaying your birth and thinking, "I should have spoken up," "I should have known something was wrong," or "My body failed my baby," this episode is for you. Kayleigh explores why these thoughts are such a common response to trauma, how our nervous systems use self-blame as a way to create a sense of safety and control, and why simply hearing "it's not your fault" often isn't enough to create lasting healing.
Rather than trying to convince you to stop blaming yourself, this episode invites you to approach these thoughts with curiosity, compassion, and a deeper understanding of the neurobiology of trauma.
In This Episode, We Discuss:
🧠 Why self-blame is one of the most common responses after birth trauma
💔 The difference between knowing something wasn't your fault and feeling like it was
🛡️ How trauma disrupts our sense of safety and predictability
🎭 Why self-blame can create the illusion of control after a traumatic experience
🧩 The role hindsight plays in rewriting our birth stories
⏪ Why judging your past self with information you only learned later is so unfair
❄️ Understanding freeze, fawn, compliance, and shutdown as normal survival responses
🤍 Why your nervous system was trying to protect you, not failing you
📋 The impossible expectations so many parents place on themselves after birth trauma
👩⚕️ Why you were never meant to have the medical knowledge of your healthcare providers
💭 Exploring the question: "What was available to me in that moment?"
🌱 Learning to replace judgment with curiosity about your trauma responses
🪞 How speaking to your past self with compassion can become part of the healing process
✨ Separating the facts of your birth from the trauma story your brain created afterward
🧠 How therapies like EMDR, Internal Family Systems (IFS), Somatic Experiencing, and Coherence Therapy can help process trauma
💙 Borrowing compassion through the perspective of someone who loves you
🌈 Why healing doesn't require believing you handled everything perfectly
❤️ Finding gratitude for the ways your nervous system helped you survive
Key Takeaway
Self-blame is often not evidence that you failed; it's evidence that your nervous system is trying to make sense of something overwhelming. Trauma changes the way we interpret our experiences, and healing begins not by arguing with those thoughts, but by becoming curious about where they come from and what purpose they've served. You don't have to force yourself to believe everything happened for a reason or that you did everything perfectly. Sometimes healing starts with offering the version of yourself who lived through the trauma the same compassion you would offer someone you love.
Resources Mentioned
🔹 EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing)
🔹 Internal Family Systems (IFS)
🔹 Somatic Experiencing
🔹 Coherence Therapy
🔹 Trauma-Informed Therapy
🔹 Birth Trauma Mama Podcast Episodes on Healing & EMDR
For more birth trauma content and a community full of love and support, head to my Instagram at @thebirthtrauma_mama.
Learn more about the support and services I offer through The Birth Trauma Mama Therapy & Support Services.
Disclaimer - The views and opinions expressed by guests on The Birth Trauma Mama Podcast are their own and do not necessarily reflect the official stance, views, or positions of The Birth Trauma Mama Podcast. The content shared is for informational purposes only and should not be considered as professional or medical advice and/or endorsement.