{"id":10436,"date":"2014-08-20T00:05:56","date_gmt":"2014-08-20T05:05:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/f06.70c.myftpupload.com\/?p=10436"},"modified":"2014-08-20T00:05:56","modified_gmt":"2014-08-20T05:05:56","slug":"ptsd-and-nursing-moms","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jolenephilo.com\/staging\/ptsd-and-nursing-moms\/","title":{"rendered":"PTSD and Nursing Moms"},"content":{"rendered":"\n[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ fullwidth=”on” _builder_version=”4.4.2″ global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_fullwidth_post_title featured_image=”off” _builder_version=”4.4.2″ title_font=”||||||||” title_text_color=”#42313A” title_font_size=”40px” meta_font_size=”14px” background_color=”#B4DBC0″ custom_padding=”50px||50px||false|false” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_fullwidth_post_title][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ specialty=”on” _builder_version=”4.4.2″ custom_padding=”0px||0px|||” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”3_4″ specialty_columns=”3″ _builder_version=”3.25″ custom_padding=”|||” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_row_inner _builder_version=”4.4.2″ global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column_inner saved_specialty_column_type=”3_4″ _builder_version=”4.4.2″ global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_image src=”@ET-DC@eyJkeW5hbWljIjp0cnVlLCJjb250ZW50IjoicG9zdF9mZWF0dXJlZF9pbWFnZSIsInNldHRpbmdzIjp7fX0=@” align=”center” _builder_version=”4.4.3″ _dynamic_attributes=”src” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.10.5″ global_colors_info=”{}”]

\u00a0Photo Credit: tungphoto at www.freedigitalphotos.net<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Hello, Different Dream readers! Welcome to a guest post from my good friends and fellow PTSD advocates, Shelly Beach and Wanda Sanchez. This post about PTSD and nursing mothers first appeared at their blog, PTSD Perspectives<\/a><\/span>. It addresses many issues of importance to the special needs community, so I was delighted when Beach and Sanchez gave permission to repost it here.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

PTSD and Nursing Moms<\/h3>\n

Most expectant and new mothers envision nursing to be the ultimate bonding experience with their child. Unfortunately, this isn\u2019t always the case. Sadly, post-traumatic stress disorder can be a contributing factor, and women may not be aware of the cause-and-effect relationship in order to be able to best address their frustrations. I recently spoke to several young mothers who talked candidly about how trauma influenced their ability to bond with their newborn babies. None of these women were prepared for the challenges they faced, and they basically had to figure out on their own that their post-traumatic stress had contributed to their struggles.<\/p>\n

PTSD and Nursing Moms: NICU Trauma<\/h4>\n

One of the mothers I spoke to gave birth vaginally, and her newborn girl experienced medical complications that placed her in the neonatal intensive care unit for nearly two weeks. During this time, both Mom and baby experienced high levels of stress and anxiety, due to the separation, limited bonding time, and painful medical procedures. Because of the anxiety and separation, Mom\u2019s lactation diminished, and her attempts to maintain her milk supply were frustrating. \u00a0After taking her little girl home from the hospital after a highly stressful two-week stay, Mom attempted nursing for two more weeks, but her child struggled to latch and preferred a bottle. At four weeks, Mom gave up and was overwhelmed with guilt at her \u201cfailure.\u201d Two years later, Baby #2 came along, and Mom struggled with anxiety at the thought of nursing. Her stress made it difficult for her to relax enough for her milk to let down when she attempted to nurse, and after a week, she decided that bottle feeding would be the best choice for Baby.<\/p>\n

PTSD and Nursing Moms : Previous Trauma<\/h4>\n

A second mother I spoke two had experienced multiple sexual assaults as a teenager. In her mid-twenties she married a supportive, loving husband, and several years later she gave birth to their first child. However, \u201cSue\u201d was guilt-ridden and heartbroken to discover that nursing her child was a trauma trigger. For weeks she struggled to be a \u201cgood\u201d mom and breast-feed her child but found that the only way she could successfully nurse her child was to dissociate. A desire to be a \u201cgood\u201d mom like other moms drove her to continue nursing for months, even though she felt it was affecting her ability to bond with her baby. When \u201cSue\u2019s\u201d second child was born, she made the decision to bottle feed. She told me that she has never regretted that choice and wished she \u2018d had a better understanding of how PTSD could influence a woman\u2019s nursing experience\u00a0before\u00a0<\/em>she\u2019d given birth to her first child.<\/p>\n

PTSD and Nursing Moms: How to Find Help<\/h4>\n

Twenty-five percent of women experience sexual abuse in their lifetime\u2013many before the birth of their first child. It\u2019s important for women to know how their trauma experiences may influence aspects of their lives so they can make the best choices for their circumstances. If you or someone you know can relate to the challenges of nursing your child because of a prior trauma experience:<\/p>\n