What helps patients feel safe?
"She was down to earth. She wasn’t like too clean cut. She wasn't in the doctor’s jacket. She just had on regular older woman [clothes]. So she definitely gave like 'mom energy.' She was very personable. I feel like when I spoke to her, she looked me in my eyes. She, you know, didn’t rush me. It wasn't like clinical questions. I feel like the way she asked questions made me feel very comfortable...it was just very personal."
- Birthing person describing factors that helped her feel safe and connected to her provider
"Along with the doctor, someone there like...I don't know what the word would be—like a representative or advocate system, somebody, with the doctor kind of explaining what the doctor is doing, who the heck the team is that just rushed in, why I'm on all fours—like, just kind of like, giving me a play by play of what's happening to me."
- Birthing person expressing what they would want in their clinical care in the context of an emergency
What helps patients feel like they can trust their care team?
"I think it's like when you talk to someone and they seem knowledgeable about what they're talking about. They don't seem like they have to go like, Google it, or come back and try to talk to you about it later. Also, they're actually listening to you. They're hearing your question fully and not assuming that you're asking about something else, jumping to a conclusion before you finish the question, or cutting you off. Um, then, like I was saying, that energy in the room, like, do you feel like you want to be here or does it feel like you're just trying to rush out of the room so you can get to, like, the next room and the next room and you can finish your day? Um. Yeah, I think those help build trust with someone and make me want to ask those personal questions, though sometimes, you know, especially with pregnancy, there's things that are going on that are so personal. And so, I know some people would be embarrassed to ask some of these questions."
- Birthing person explaining what makes them feel like they can trust a provider
What helps patients feel empowered?
"Going over everything and saying, ‘This is what I would do.’ …the choice of breastfeeding or not breastfeeding or, you know, pumping, that was, you know, like, I never felt pushed in one way, direction or the other. Also, like, initially, like, my milk wasn't coming in as much as I wanted it to. And you know, now that I'm home and we're not on as good of a schedule as we were before, my milk hasn't been as great. But like, everybody's said, kind of always gave me, ‘Don't forget, it's twins. It's your first time, mom. You may not be able to keep up with production as you need to. So supplementing with formula is okay if you need to, and that's what you want to do. That's the choice you're making.’ Just very supported in that sense."
- Birthing person describing what choices they were given in their care and how it made them feel
What happens for people when trauma is activated?
Content coming soon
Common Trauma Activators in Pregnancy:
Content coming soon
Self-Other Awareness:
It’s important for us to reflect on what our presence might bring up for our patients and differences that could make it difficult to understand our patients’ experiences
Steps for example practice:
- Reflect on how your patient might see you and what it might bring up for them (past experiences with people who might look or sound like you). Ask yourself, what might your patient have experienced in the past? What might my presence in the room bring up for them?
- Connect If I were this patient, what would I need to feel safer or more comfortable? Can I relate to their experience in some way?
- Acknowledge differences: Does my patient have different body parts, or have they likely had unjust experiences that I haven’t had based on race, gender, class, body size, etc?
- What can I do to help this person feel seen and more comfortable right now?
What do patients want their clinical team to know?
content coming soon
What is birth trauma and how can it be prevented?
coming soon