When the Hardest Day Stays With You: Birth Trauma, PTSD, and the Invisible Weight of Maternal Trauma

Some stories don’t fade with time.

Some moments—whether whispered or screamed—live on inside the body.

For many parents, trauma doesn’t come from the big, obvious moments.

It comes from what wasn’t said.

What wasn’t explained.

What wasn’t supported.

It comes from a moment you didn’t expect to become the one you replay over and over again.

At Palacios Crew Counseling, we hold space for the kind of trauma that others might miss—because you were “medically okay,” or because your baby is “just fine,” or because “it could’ve been worse.”

But your nervous system remembers differently.

What Is Birth Trauma?

Birth trauma isn’t defined by what happened on your chart—it’s defined by how you felt in the moment:

Did you feel safe?

Were your choices honored?

Were you heard?

Did anyone explain what was happening to your body, your baby, your life?

Birth trauma can come from:

• Emergency interventions, complications, or blood loss

• A NICU stay or separation from your baby

• Feeling dismissed, shamed, or violated during labor

• Stillbirth, miscarriage, or a delivery that didn’t go as planned

• A triggering moment that brought past trauma flooding back

  
  

Trauma Isn’t Just Birth-Related

We also support clients carrying trauma from:

• Pregnancy loss or infertility journeys that shattered hope again and again

• Medical trauma, including complications or surgeries that left scars—physical and emotional

• Relational or sexual trauma that resurfaces during pregnancy, postpartum, or body changes

• Partner or family dynamics that caused emotional harm during a vulnerable time

• The stress of navigating systems as a marginalized identity—being ignored, misunderstood, or mistreated

  
  

These experiences can lead to PTSD, and too often, they’re dismissed because the trauma doesn’t “look” dramatic. But trauma isn’t about what other people see—it’s about what you live through every day.

Signs of Trauma or PTSD After Birth or Loss:

• Flashbacks or nightmares

• Avoidance of anything that reminds you of what happened—hospitals, conversations, even touching your own body

• Feeling detached from your baby or from yourself

• Hypervigilance, anxiety, or a constant sense that something is about to go wrong

• Panic attacks, irritability, or a feeling that you’re not safe—even when you are

  
  

These are not signs that you’re failing.

They’re signs your nervous system is still carrying a wound that hasn’t had space to heal.

Healing Is Possible

We believe you.

We know how heavy it can feel to carry an experience alone—especially one that was never acknowledged or validated.

Our team is trained in trauma-informed, perinatal mental health care, including EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) and gentle, grounding support that allows you to process at your own pace.

You don’t have to relive it.

You don’t have to “be strong.”

You just have to show up—exactly as you are.

We’re here to support clients who are:

• Navigating birth trauma, NICU recovery, or emergency deliveries

• Healing from pregnancy loss, stillbirth, or fertility-related trauma

• Working through past trauma that resurfaced during the perinatal period

• Dealing with chronic anxiety, flashbacks, panic, or emotional numbing

• Trying to reconnect with themselves after a season of survival

You’re not alone—even if it feels that way.

We hold space for your grief, your confusion, your guilt, your anger, your numbness.

We trust your story. And we believe in your capacity to heal.

Reach out when you're ready. Whether you're days or years past the moment that changed everything—you are never too late to begin healing.

In-person and telehealth sessions available across Arizona | Insurance accepted