Bart Blaylock, a TriWest Regional Director, recalls a traumatic experience that left him to relive it again and again even after 21 years.
The high-risk birth of his son had been difficult and required medical intervention. As a soon-to-be father assisting his wife in the delivery room, Bart was powerless to understand what was happening or to help the attending medical staff.
“Every experience is real,” he says. While the delivery resulted in the couple’s healthy baby boy, Bart’s experience had elicited postnatal post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), commonly known as birth trauma.
He became increasingly hyper-vigilant and often wondered what might go wrong in the future. His anxious “what ifs” clouded his ability to put his trauma in the past and move forward.
Bart shares his story on TriWest Healthcare Alliance’s ‘Inspiring Stories’ microsite in a video describing his experience and resilience.
Understanding trauma and his subsequent stress reactions, and learning coping mechanisms, enabled him to navigate a path to recovery. The experience contributed to Bart’s pursuit of a clinical degree, ultimately becoming a registered nurse (RN).
Shining a light on birth trauma, Bart also offers insights to those who have not experienced it but may encounter others who experience trauma during the birth of a child.
View his feature here:
Read the video transcript of Bart’s story on experiencing birth trauma.