How years of NHS midwifery, yoga teaching and somatic practice shaped my understanding of birth trauma as a nervous system response, and what that means for the way healing work is offered.

Why do some people feel deeply traumatised after clinically straightforward births, while others feel empowered after complex ones? One of the most consistent answers is consent, not as a legal formality, but as a felt experience in the body.

Flashbacks, hypervigilance, numbness, shame aren't signs of weakness, or anything to be ‘got over’ or pushed aside. They're intelligent survival responses that have got stuck. Understanding the biology can be the beginning of self-compassion.

"But your baby is healthy." "At least you're both okay." These responses, however well-meaning, can deepen shame and delay healing. This piece explores why birth trauma so often goes unrecognised, and why that needs to change.