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Birth Trauma Support

Fraser Valley, British Columbia & Beyond

Newborn Baby

Welcome to the Fraser Valley Birth Trauma Support Page.  This page was set up by a fellow birth trauma survivor after not finding any resources available in the community.  The latest estimates of birth trauma rates are now at 45% of all births every year.  While unexpected and traumatic events can occur during birth, most survivors say that the reason for their trauma has more to do with how they were treated rather than what actually happened to them.  This means that birth trauma is largely preventable.  Once the trauma has occurred, the people who were involved move on with their lives while we are left to pick up the pieces.  This page is full of resources to help you navigate your own healing journey.  You are not alone.

To start off, here are some common feelings you may have after your birth trauma:

-You may feel that your experience wasn't as bad as what other people have gone through, and question if what happened to you was "traumatic enough" to be considered birth trauma.
- You may have trouble bonding with your baby or question whether or not your baby is actually yours.
- You may feel triggered by any mention of birth in any context.
- You may feel very angry or envious of other people's positive birth stories.
- You may feel very overprotective of your baby, more so than other parents seem to be.
- You may have many questions, memories that are out of order or have a lot of confusion surrounding what actually happened to you.

These are all examples of trauma responses.  Remember, that if it felt traumatic to you then it was trauma, regardless of the specifics of what happened.  Trauma occurs when there is an event that is sudden, unexpected and overwhelming, during which you feel out of control and have no voice.  Your feelings are valid no matter what they are, even if they contradict each other.

See below for some of the resources available to you.  Click here if you want to know more about me.  Feel free to reach out if you have any questions or join our facebook support group.


 

Urgent Coping Techniques

Urgent Coping Techniques

Anxiety Tools

A how to guide for managing anxiety and trauma.

Bilateral Tapping

Bilateral tapping helps your brain reprocess the traumatic memories that have been improperly stored.

Breathing Tool

A visual aid to help with regulating your breathing. Slow breathing helps to "trick" your brain out of panic mode.

Grounding Techniques

A great resource full of other "grounding techniques" you can try when you are feeling triggered.

Put Something Happy In Your Ears

Happy music is a great distraction when your mind is stuck in a loop, replaying your traumatic experience.

Say Out Loud How You Want To Feel

Example: "I am awesome! I am a great at this!" Say things that make you feel good and strong afterwards.

Start A Journal

Write your thoughts down in a notebook, this way they are on a page and not replaying in your brain.

How To Request Your Hospital Records

Fraser Health

Interior Health

Island Health

Northern Health

Providence Health

Vancouver Coastal Health

How To Request Your Hospital Records
Where To File Your Complaint

Where To File Your Complaint

About A Doctor

College of Physicians and Surgeons of British Columbia

About A Nurse Or Midwife

British Columbia College of Nurses and Midwives

Fraser Health

Patient Care Quality Office

Interior Health

Patient Care Quality Office

Island Health

Patient Care Quality Office

Northern Health

Patient Care Quality Office

Providence Health

Patient Care Quality Office

Vancouver Coastal Health

Patient Care Quality Office

Health Professions Review Board

Further Your Unresolved Complaint About a Doctor

BCCNM Hearing Process

Further Your Unresolved Complaint About a Nurse or Midwife

Patient Care Quality Review Board

Further Your Unresolved Complaint About a Hospital

BC Ombudsperson

When You Have Exhausted All Options

Statistics And Public Information

BC Perinatal Services

We are fortunate that birth statistics in British Columbia are followed closely and are publicly available

Canadian Medical Association Code of Ethics

The Code of Ethics that Canadian Doctors are Required to Follow

Canadian Medical Protective Association Guide To Consent

The Consent Guide for Canadian Physicians

MSC Financial Statement (Blue Book)

Check here to see how much your doctor bills to MSP every year

Midwives Standards and Guidelines

The Standards and Guidelines that Midwives are Required to Follow

Nurse Professional Standards

The Standards of Practice that Nurses are Required to Follow

Statistics And Public Informatin

Complaint Letter Writing

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Learn from my own letter writing experience and complaint process.
 
I spent 5 months crafting a 15 page complaint letter and received my desired outcomes.  My case manager at the BCCNM said that, based on my letter, I was qualified to sit on the review board because I essentially went through the same process they would be going through.  The Head of Obstetrics at the hospital where I filed my complaint said that my letter showed a lot of insight and there was no lack of confidence in what I was saying.  You can learn from my process and write your own letter that will be taken seriously.

A Step By Step Guide To:

  • Determine where to submit your letter

  • Request and interpret your hospital records

  • How to research local standards and guidelines

  • Address your audience

  • Write a compelling letter

  • Prepare for the outcome

Free Bonus:

  • Medical Records Reference Sheet

  • Complaint Submission Reference Sheet

Complaint Letter Writing

Other Complaint Letter Writing Resources

Birth Monopoly

Know Your Rights

Improving Birth

Safer Birth For All

Patient Pathways

A Patient Advocate in BC and a great source of resources

Local Therapy Resources

Local Therapy Resources

Well Within Counselling

Abbotsford, BC - EMDR therapy with Dr. Paula Jacobs

Pacific Postpartum Support Society

BC - Postpartum Depression and Postpartum Anxiety Support

Beth Scholes Counselling

Chilliwack, BC - Postpartum Counselling

Nicole Chambers Counselling

Maple Ridge, BC - Perinatal Mental Health and Birth Trauma Counselling

Cedar Sisters Doula

Surrey, BC - Reiki for Trauma Healing

New Tides

Vancouver, BC - EMDR Therapy

Trauma Informed Yoga

Re.Pose Therapy

Abbotsford, BC

Vidya Therapeutic Yoga

Chilliwack, BC

In Balance Health

Maple Ridge, BC

Avant Counselling

Surrey, BC

New Tides

Vancouver, BC

Turn The Tide Yoga & Wellness

Vancouver, BC

Yoga Therapy International

Vancouver, BC

Centerpoint Yoga

White Rock, BC

Trauma Informed Yoga

Perinatal Loss

BC Womens Hospital

Local Resource Page

Butterfly Run

Vancouver, BC

Empty Cradle

This is a support group that meets in a church and may have religious affiliations

In Our Hearts

FaceBook Page

Michelle Tyliakos

Resource Page

Pregnancy After Loss

Support organization

Pregnancy Loss Info

Answers to common questions

Seeking Ceremony

Using ceremonies for healing

Perinatal Loss
Other Helpful Links

Other Helpful Links

Birth Monopoly

Know your rights

Birth Place Lab

Information about mistreatment in maternity units

Empowering Moms

The right support and education to have empowered future experiences

Evidence Based Birth

The best place to get trustworthy, evidence based, peer reviewed and up to date information about care.

Improving Birth

An organization for spreading awareness

MeTooInTheBirthRoom

Collecting people's traumatic birth stories

RESPCCT Survey

Please consider filling out this survey about maternity patient experiences, being researched by UBC

Vancouver Birth Trauma

A website hosted by a fellow birth trauma survivor

Local News Stories

Local News Stories (Content May Be Triggering)

11 assault charges laid against fake nurse who worked at Vancouver hospital for a year

CBC News - Sep 9, 2022

More new moms speak out about traumatic labour, delivery in Fraser Health

CityNews - Jan 13, 2022

Surrey woman gives birth in hospital lobby after she says staff turned her away

CityNews - Jan 12, 2022

Delays that led to Abbotsford hospital baby death draw apologies, criticism, changes and review

Vancouver Sun - Aug 28, 2017

'A scene from a horror movie': 9 mothers speak out about alleged mistreatment during childbirth

CBC News - Nov 7, 2016

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