Unpacking the Birth You Didn’t Expect

About This Group

• This virtual support group is open to mothers and birthing people who experienced a distressing or traumatic birth
• This is a drop-in group, so you may attend weekly or whenever you feel ready
• The group is inclusive of all LGBTQIA+ individuals. Please share your pronouns at the group introduction
• Participation is capped at 16 participants to foster intimacy, connection, and safety
• The Motherhood Center has partnered with Oula to facilitate this group. Founded in 2019, Oula is a collaborative maternity care practice that brings together midwives, OB-GYNs, and care navigators to provide comprehensive care before, during, and after pregnancy. The practice delivers a full range of clinical services — preconception counseling, pregnancy care, hospital birth, postpartum support, and ongoing gynecology care — complemented by 24/7 care navigation, virtual support, educational resources, and expert-led workshops.

Discussion Topics

• Processing and making meaning of your birth experience
• Understanding and coping with trauma responses
• Navigating feelings of guilt, disappointment, or anger
• Healing the mind-body connection after a difficult birth
• Exploring relationships, identity, and trust in the postpartum period
• Building resilience and self-compassion
• Learning ways to ask for help, cope with distressing emotions, and identify moments of connection with baby, partner, and others
• Feelings around medical trauma, birthing trauma

Is this Group Right for Me?

If your birth experience felt frightening, overwhelming, disempowering, or left you with lingering sadness or confusion, you don't have to process those feelings alone. Here, you'll be supported by others who "get it,” and guided by an experienced perinatal therapist from The Motherhood Center and an OBGYN from Oula who understands the impact of unexpected or traumatic birth experiences. Whether you're ready to share your story or prefer to listen quietly, there is space for you here.