Our Peer Supporters
Our team of peer supporters have all experienced traumatic births and been through a process of recovery. The easiest way to get in touch with them is via email.
Most of our peer supporters are mums, but we do have one dad, so if you’re a father or partner who would like support after witnessing a traumatic birth, please do ask for Steve when you email.
If you prefer support over the phone, please call 0203 621 6338.
Meet our peer supporters
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I'm Amanda, a mum of two. It was with my first child that I suffered birth trauma – he is now nearly six. I had an induced labour ending with episiotomy, forceps and a return to hospital a few days later for 48 hours with an infection. I had damage to my tail bone that went undiagnosed/untreated as I was told it was my first baby and normal. I struggled with this for months, making sitting down and breastfeeding really difficult, not to mention the emotional side and having to process everything. After having a really different experience the second time around with my daughter I was drawn to the BTA as I was ready to help others on their way to recovery and just to help them feel heard.
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My name is Emma. I gave birth to my son at the start of 2022 and sustained a 3c tear followed by a haemorrhage, leaving my husband and baby whilst been taking to theatre for a general anaesthetic for surgery that took over two hours. My baby boy was healthy, however, I feared for my own life and was worried about what my physical recovery would look like. Unhelpful comments and incorrect facts from staff and an examination without consent also contributed to my birth trauma and postnatal depression. I then struggled with breastfeeding and bonding with my baby. I had talking therapy and found the BTA Facebook group which both helped me on my path to healing. I have always loved and cared for my baby but after a year I finally got a rush of love and felt that I had fully recovered. I now want to turn my experience into a positive by helping and supporting others.
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I'm Kate (KJR), mum of two, living fairly close to London. I had a traumatic birth with my first about five years ago. Since volunteering for BTA, it has struck me how many people's birth trauma has been exacerbated by the feeling that they were not respected, listened to or heard during childbirth. The same was true for me. I want people to know that they are heard, we are listening now, and wanting to help if we can.
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I have had three “births”: an emergency C-section, a miscarriage and forceps delivery. Each one of my experiences was so different to the other. I was left feeling broken, damaged and like a failure. Then I reached out to the wonderful BTA and it was like a hug in an email. To feel heard and listened to was so needed and so special; to know that the person typing understood how I felt was invaluable in my recovery.
I joined the BTA to pass that onto others, to help others in their recovery journey and to be that “email hug” that someone might need as they sit in the dark, sobbing.
There is ALWAYS light of the tunnel, however long it may be, please reach out to me or anyone at the BTA, we are always here to listen. Hugs.
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I’m a mum of two from Northumberland. I’ve experienced miscarriage trauma and birth trauma. The recovery from the birth of my eldest in 2018 turned out bitter-sweet to me. As I worked towards recovering from my birthing injuries, I also realized how long I’d wasted pretending to be fine after my miscarriage. My dreamt about beautiful son arrived and I began a journey of recovery from a buried miscarriage trauma and complicated forceps delivery which has left me with injuries I’ve learned to live with. I have the unshakeable belief that we can all find a way back to feeling comfortable in our own skin again.
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I’m Charlotte. I am mum of one, to my beautiful daughter Amelia. It was with Amelia I suffered my own birth trauma. A gruelling three-day induced labour, failed epidural, my girl became stuck & back-to-back, with me feeling every bit of it, resulting in a failed forceps and an emergency caesarean. Something that I never considered I might go through, nor considered that those next years ahead would be crucial to my PTSD and anxieties.
And some years down the line, in time, with CBT therapy and a good support network I felt somewhat better. I became a maternity care assistant on the very ward I suffered my trauma and finally gained closure. The main thing I took from this in volumes was the trauma that parents were suffering from their new experience. I found myself leaning to these families. What can I do? How can I help? I had a huge urge to help in some way – and then I thought of the BTA and how much they helped me with my own trauma. This led to me becoming a peer supporter and finally reaching out my hand to those who need it. I am here, with hope, to make a difference, and to show that on the other side of this birth trauma, you really do find hope, peace, and yourself again.
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My name is Gemma, I am a Covid mum, having had my son in May 2020. The lockdown restrictions really impacted me, whether through labouring in the hospital alone or not being allowed family or friends to help me or even hold my hand as a first-time mum.
I know how isolating and overwhelming being a mum can be – it can feel like a big mistake at times and I want to be there for you to talk to when it gets like that.
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I’m Kathryn and I underwent a difficult instrumental delivery, followed by a stay of several days on a ward where my daughter and I experienced a lack of compassionate and safe care. Prior to the birth, I had had a traumatic miscarriage, and suffered a close bereavement in the immediate postpartum period, which heightened the emotional struggles I experienced in the months following. My wish is for you to know that if you have experienced birth trauma, your experience matters and we are here to offer the support and empathy you deserve.
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My birth trauma didn’t look like many of the others I hear about. I struggled for a long time to understand why I felt the way I did about a birth that was on paper “what I wanted”.
I’ve come to realise that psychological injury (ie trauma) can occur when we don't feel safe, no matter what is actually happening or how safe we physically are.
I went on to have a healing birth that was psychologically safe for me and exactly what I needed.
Being a peer supporter has been a big part of my life the last few years. Many people have helped me on my healing journey and it helps me to know that I could be a small part of someone else's.
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I’m Sophie. I'm a mummy to two children following fertility treatment and one big child (AKA my husband). I have a huge passion for mental health blogging and motherhood, and I aim to raise awareness on navigating motherhood whilst dealing with ill mental health. One day I hope to leave my mark on NHS policy and postnatal mental health, so no other family feels alone. I was pregnant during the first Covid-19 lockdown and gave birth alone to my son. I found birth to be emotionally traumatic and I developed PND and postpartum psychosis. My son and I spent four months in our local mother and baby psychiatric unit. Since then, I have been on a journey in learning to love my son and finding myself again. I want to support other parents in their journey, giving them the empowerment to know that with support things can and will get better.
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I’m a logistics manager from Sheffield where I live with my wife and two boys. The youngest, who was born in January 2021 with Hirschsprung’s disease, was also his family’s traumatic birth.
I was motivated to join as a peer supporter for the Birth Trauma Association after my experience as a partner navigating the traumatic delivery of my second child. That involved supporting my wife – but I also became aware of the lack of direct support, or signposting of support, available to partners as they pick up the day-to-day running of family life.
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My birth trauma was a long 24 years ago but it resurfaced (in the form of new, but accurate, memories) during the pandemic. Long story short, I found the BTA and love this organisation’s work and now enjoy being a peer support volunteer for them. I’m passionate about helping other women find support after a traumatic birth and I am equally keen to figure out ways to prevent birth trauma.
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I’m Heather, and I’m mum to an amazing daughter who has a hypoxic brain injury. I had PTSD after my birth and my daughter’s NICU stay and now I want to help other women and parents who need support.
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I'm Katie and I’m mum to a toddler who was born via a crash c-section while I was placed under general anaesthetic. This had a huge impact on the months that followed and resulted in a diagnosis of PTSD. After receiving some transformative EMDR therapy I feel in a great place to help and support others. I’ve now had our second child, which I never would have thought possible without the help I received.
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I’m Emma! I went through a traumatic birth at the birth of my first daughter where I sustained birth injuries. I felt ignored and alone for too long and want others to feel listened to because every story matters.
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I’m Heather, a mum of two girls living in Lincolnshire. I experienced birth trauma with my eldest daughter who was born in 2017. I went on to receive EMDR therapy after a PTSD diagnosis, which really helped at the time. I suffered a slight relapse during my second pregnancy, however after incredible support from my local perinatal mental health service and further EMDR therapy, I went on to have a really successful, healing birth in July 2019.
I feel passionate about supporting individuals and their loved ones through their birth trauma journey and feel really privileged to now be in a place where I’m able to help others.
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I have three children and my last we call baby number surprise. I had a completely different experience the first two times I was pregnant, and with my third (and last) pregnancy I was hospitalised at 20 weeks with sepsis. I spent some time in intensive care before the discovery of an abscess on my kidney, which meant a hospital stay of five weeks. I often wonder how I would’ve healed from that mentally if I didn’t then go on to deliver at 42 weeks but with baby’s cord round his neck. I first realised I had postnatal depression four months after that but it took a further year before I reached out and was, gently, told I had PTSD. I went through five therapists in the next few years but credit EMDR therapy with saving my life. That and the BTA, who provided a space for me to tell my story, and feel validated. It was incredibly healing to (virtually) sit with other people who knew a little of the landscape I was navigating.
I’ve moved on from those debilitating flashbacks, panic attacks, dissociative episodes, nightmares and the numbness and I want to help create a space for others to feel less alone and tell their story. There’s power in taking back our stories and it’s not easy, we have to start and stop many times before we find what works for us but healing is possible. And it starts with our voice.
