S1: Ep11 Birth Trauma with Gemma Nealon

06/25/23 • 64 min

In this episode, Suzanne speaks to midwife and birth trauma expert Gemma Nealon.
Listen to this episode to hear:

what trauma is
what the symptoms of trauma are
why some people experience birth trauma and others don't
the effect of the love hormones of birth
how to boost the love hormones in cases where the birth has medical intervention
why finding peace during birth is important
why feeling deeply loved during birth can prevent trauma
Gemma's 3 stages of healing trauma
how the birth attendant affects the birth
why it is important to support birth workers
that trauma can be misdiagnosed as depression
how trauma is different from a mental health disorder
how our nervous systems affect each other

Resources:
Gemma's trauma help website:
https://www.gemmanealon.com/
Gemma's hypnobirthing website:
https://positivebirthscotland.com/
Gemma's social media:
https://www.instagram.com/gemmanealon/
https://www.instagram.com/positivebirthscotland/
Books on trauma:
Waking the Tiger: Healing Trauma by Peter Levine
The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk
The Polyvagal Theory by Stephen Porges
When the Body Says No: the Cost of Hidden Stress by Gabor Mate

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www.motherheal.com
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Suzanne is at Suzanne.mother.heal on Facebook
music by Shooglenifty with Dhun Dhora
https://www.shooglenifty.com/
The Mother Podcast is produced by Garry Finlayson and Suzanne Maier

In this episode, Suzanne speaks to midwife and birth trauma expert Gemma Nealon.
Listen to this episode to hear:

what trauma is
what the symptoms of trauma are
why some people experience birth trauma and others don't
the effect of the love hormones of birth
how to boost the love hormones in cases where the birth has medical intervention
why finding peace during birth is important
why feeling deeply loved during birth can prevent trauma
Gemma's 3 stages of healing trauma
how the birth attendant affects the birth
why it is important to support birth workers
that trauma can be misdiagnosed as depression
how trauma is different from a mental health disorder
how our nervous systems affect each other

Send us a text

Previous Episode

S1:Ep 10 Doulas and Birth Choices with Daisy Dinwoodie

In this episode, Suzanne talks to Daisy Dinwoodie, a doula living and working in the Edinburgh area. Their discussion focuses on choice in childbirth - how it is influenced by the medical establishment and how birthing families navigate their own birthing journeys. Daisy has been supporting parents with their birth experiences for many years and also trains doulas around Scotland.
Listen to this episode to hear:

why people hire doulas
what type of support doulas can give and why that support is important
the problems with perceived choice in childbirth
how birth within the medical model affects choice
the importance of intuition in birth, but how do we respect this?
issues with communication around choice and how we can improve this
using Talking Mats antenatally to help parents clarify their feelings around birth options
some reasons why women choose to free birth

Daisy can be found at:
Daisy's website
Daisy's instagram
Daisy's facebook

Conscious birthing
Scottish Doula Network

Send us a text

Next Episode

Pelvic Steaming with Postpartum Doula Jenny Smith-Nicol

Pelvic steaming. Vaginal steaming. Yoni steaming.
In this episode Suzanne speaks to postpartum doula Jenny Smith-Nicol about the reasons for and methods of pelvic steaming.
This episode is for you if:

steaming is something you have heard of and are wondering what it is
you are someone who has ventured to try steaming but are not clear on the details of the practice
you are a women's health practitioner looking for ways to help women with their reproductive health
you are postpartum and wanting to help your recovery
you are a woman looking for ways to heal from, and prevent, many common women's health ailments

Using herb-infused steam to clear out, tone and bring circulation to a woman's pelvic organs is an ancient practice. It is used to regulate periods, treat uterine fibroids and endometriosis, pelvic organ prolapses and minor recurrent infections like thrush or bacterial vaginosis. It is also used to as a regular practice to keep the vagina, cervix and uterus healthy in order to avoid developing these conditions.
Listen to this episode to find out: