Here’s Who Can Also Experience PTSD After Childbirth (Besides the Person Who Gave Birth)

While this is commonly a diagnosis reserved for those coming back from war, seeing the person you love quite literally being ripped or cut open to give birth to a small human has the potential to be traumatic.

In this article from She Knows, male partners recount the gruesome and terrifying acts associated with the woman they love giving birth.

As a society, we commonly brush off the emotions of partners, as they are not the ones giving birth, don’t have post-baby bodies, and don’t suffer from postpartum depression directly related to childbirth. However, the suffering of flashbacks, insomnia, and other symptoms are incredibly real and are often met with phrases like “man up.”

We need to work to de-stigmatize this. The person giving birth is only one part of the equation, and the importance of the mental and emotional health should be emphasized with all parents.

 

Cover image courtesy of Shutterstock.

By Jacqueline Wostrel on February 29, 2016
Jacqueline (Jackie) Wostrel is an editorial intern at HelloFlo, founder of the book blog No Bent Spines, and illustrator of the children’s book Hearts and Butterflies. She enjoys long walks to the book store, political debates, cheese plates, and dreaming of all the countries she has yet to explore. In the fall she’ll go to the University of Houston for Journalism and Hotel Restaurant Management.