The Importance of Being Validated

This article follows on from last month

There are also those mothers who try to express their disappointment or grief, but are quickly shut down by comments like, “Well, at least you have a healthy baby.” While it may be true, this type of comment negates the mother’s feelings. Not only that, but it also can create more guilt or shame in the mother as she tries to dismiss her feelings about the birth

It’s okay to be upset if your birth did not go as you had hoped or planned! Take the time to grieve that, but realise that not everyone will understand. It is confusing how such profound joy and grief can coexist, but just knowing this is normal can go a long way in helping you cope and move on!

Why is it Important to Process Your Birth?

I believe that every woman who has given birth, needs to set aside some time to process the experience

Why?

Because our birth experiences leave lasting impressions.

The emotions we feel during birth are real. They are powerful.

They also deeply affect us

When we ignore these emotions or don’t appropriately deal with them, they can negatively affect our emotional well-being or mental state.

When a new mother is given the opportunity to tell her story, process her birth experience and feel validated, understood and affirmed, she is able to more quickly appreciate the experience, heal and grow from it and move on

It’s especially important for a new mother to process her childbirth experience before giving birth again.

This prevents any negative emotions from the previous birth to interfere with the next pregnancy, labor or delivery.