Birth Debriefing Services: Journey to Clarity and Healing from birth trauma
Processing Your Story in a Neuro-Affirming Space
During the intense period following childbirth, your mind may struggle to process a flood of sensory information and complex emotions and feelings. My Birth Debriefing Services offer a structured, sensory-safe environment where you can share your experience of birth with a professional who understands both the physiology of birth and the nuances of the neurodivergent brain.
Whether you are navigating ADHD, autism, or experienced birth trauma, this is a space of unwavering respect. Through a "maternity debrief" grounded in expert counselling, we work together to find clarity by bridging the gap between what you expected and what you experienced during labour and birth. My goal is to help you reduce the "cognitive load" of unanswered questions, guiding you toward emotional regulation and a reclaimed sense of self, while providing a safe space to reflect.
What Are The Potential Benefits?
I combine my background as a Doula and Counsellor to provide support that is validating rather than just clinical. We don’t just "talk about" the birth; we honour the uniqueness of your nervous system. By integrating trauma-informed care and birth physiology, we explore the 5 P's of the labour process (Passenger, Passage, Powers, Placenta, and Psychology), helping you find the logic and "the why" behind your experience, fostering a sense of resilience that feels authentic to you.
Close the 'Open Loops': Understand the medical reasoning behind decisions to help soothe the ADHD "need to know."
Sensory-Safe Processing: A pace that respects your communication style, whether you need deep detail or extra time to find the right words.
Reclaim Your Agency: Sometimes the lack of consent during childbirth can lead to feelings of disempowerment. You can take back ownership of your narrative and move forward with autonomy.
Partner Support: Enhance connection by helping your birth partner understand the physiological and emotional reality of your journey.
Identify Triggers: We look at what creates excessive pain in labour, or what can lead to complications like post-partum haemorrhage, or whether it was physical, environmental, obstetric violence or a lack of accommodation to your specific needs, to help you process the trauma response.
A safe space to process your birth experience
Whether you need a slower pace, frequent breaks, or specific sensory accommodations, don't be afraid to ask; this space is adapted to you. As we look back on your birth, my priority is your nervous system regulation; we work at a "titrated" pace (small, manageable pieces) to minimise the risk of distress and prioritise your autonomy. Here, you regain your agency and find safety at your own speed. Your emotional and psychological well-being is my priority.
FAQ
Explore common queries and concerns below.
Is it Always Helpful?
It is important to ask: "Should I have a birth debrief to help process my birth?" Most find it helpful to better understand and find closure. After a traumatic birth, a debrief may help, but it must be done with the right person. It is important to take into consideration that although a debrief can help to understand what happened, this process is often really hard for those who feel their birth was a traumatic event, and that can bring up to the surface feelings of guilt, anger, shutdown or even re-traumatisation. Who should I debrief with?
While some hospitals offer a clinical "Birth Afterthoughts" service, guided by the hospital's midwifery team or other health professional, many parents prefer an unbiased approach, like a trauma-informed perinatal counsellor, to ensure that when they share their birth stories, they aren't "gaslit" by the system that may have caused the distress in the first place.
Who should I debrief with?
While some hospitals offer a clinical "Birth Afterthoughts" service, guided by the hospital's midwifery team or other health professional, many parents prefer an unbiased approach, like a trauma-informed perinatal counsellor, to ensure that when they share their birth stories, they aren't "gaslit" by the system that may have caused the distress in the first place.
How long do birth debriefing sessions typically last?
Consultations usually last around two hours. This allows ample time for you—and your partner, if you choose- to process at a pace that doesn't feel rushed, and ask all the questions you may have. For neurodivergent parents, we prioritise processing time and can adapt the structure of our time together to meet your needs.
What if I find discussing my birth experience too distressing?
It is common to feel overwhelmed when revisiting intense moments. This is why my consultations are designed as low-demand, high-safety spaces. We move at your speed, and you are always encouraged to take breaks. My approach is "bottom-up," meaning we prioritise your nervous system's safety above the need to "finish" the story.
Will I need follow-up sessions?
While one session often provides the clarity needed to close specific "loops," many mothers, particularly those navigating neurodivergence or complex matrescence, benefit from ongoing support to address the sadness and grief that often follow this process. Follow-up appointments are available to deepen your healing and ensure your long-term well-being is supported.
How can these services help if I have symptoms of PTSD?
Birth debriefing is a powerful first step in addressing birth-related post-traumatic stress disorder. If the emotional distress is too overwhelming, to avoid retraumatisation, we can then use the 3 Steps Rewind method, a gentle, somatic-based alternative to EMDR, which is a non-re-traumatising approach. This allows us to reduce the heavy emotional "charge" of a memory without requiring you to relive every distressing detail.
By identifying specific triggers and physiological responses, we collaborate to move from a state of "survival mode" toward healing. This integrated approach restores trust in your body and helps you feel more grounded in your daily life.
How long after birth can you have a debrief?
There is no "expiry date" on healing. Whether your birth was six weeks ago or six years ago, or you are now thinking of having another child and feel the need to fully understand and need to reflect on your previous birth. Many women who have experienced their birth as distressing find that a birth debrief offers a much needed reasssurance and understanding. It is never too late to find healing.
Where can you have a birth debrief?
I offer the option of a home visit, here in Malaga, as many parents struggle to access support in the post-partum period and therefore delay processing the emotional experience of what happened with a trained mental health professional. Alternatively, we can arrange this one-off session online.
How do I prepare for a birth debrief?
You don’t need to have everything figured out. You can request your maternity notes (in Spain, this is your 'Informe de Parto') from your GP or Midwife. In The Netherlands, you can request your notes from your verloskundige. If you were followed in pregnancy and delivery by a First-line Midwife (Eerstelijns) or by a Second-line Midwife (Tweedelijns). These notes can be beneficial for factual clarity, but your "lived experience" following the birth is the most important document we have.
Investment: Birth Story Medicine & Debriefing
Price: €135 | Duration: 90 Minutes
A birth debrief is more than a retelling of events; it is a dedicated process of reclamation and integration. This investment reflects the specialised, trauma-informed care required to safely navigate these narratives.
What your investment includes:
Pre-Session Intent Review: I personally review your intake forms and any birth notes you choose to share to ensure our time together is focused and supportive.
90-Minute Dedicated Session: A deep-dive exploration using a neuro-affirming and trauma-informed lens, allowing space for pauses, sensory grounding, and emotional safety.
Specialised Expertise: Access to a practitioner trained in 3 Steps Rewind, Perinatal Counselling, and Physiological Birth (Doula).
Integration Guide: Within 48 hours of our session, you will receive a personalised summary including grounding tools and resources tailored to your specific processing needs.
Support Bridge: One week of follow-up support via my portal to answer questions as your story continues to settle.
Book your birth debriefing session
Becoming a parent is a life-changing experience. If you or a loved one is struggling after a difficult birth, and you feel that you would benefit from a non/judgemental space where you can get the answers and find support, do not hesitate to reach out. I hope to provide a non-judgmental space that is person-centred, neuro-affirming and culturally sensitive. You do not have to do this alone.
