Guest Blog Post Healing Birth Trauma with God: A Doula-Supported Journey

4 May

Guest Blogger - Beth O’Neill || Leadership Coach Home | Beth O'Neill Coaching Instagram

I’m really happy to welcome Beth! I feel the need to share more about the heart behind my work, and Beth’s story is one that needs to be shared, as I think it could encourage so many others who have been through similar experiences. Beth went through a really tough time during birth and postpartum, but found healing in such a powerful way—by bringing it all to God. Her testimony is honest, raw, and so encouraging. It shows how even the hardest experiences can be places where God’s glory breaks through.

Healing Birth Trauma with God: A Doula-Supported Journey

Why Debriefing Your Birth Experience Matters

Every birth story is personal. Whether you're a first-time mum or preparing for another baby, your experiences—good or bad—stay with you. They become part of your journey. If your previous birth or pregnancy was traumatic, disappointing, or didn’t go how you hoped, know this: there is a way to find peace, healing, and strength moving forward.

I’ve seen how powerful it is to bring these moments into the light with God. Whether you’re in postpartum or preparing for a new pregnancy, revisiting your birth experience in a safe, God-centered space can be a beautiful and healing part of your journey.

Why It Helps to Debrief—with God and a Supportive Doula

After a difficult or unexpected turn in birth, you may be carrying emotional and spiritual scars. These can show up in how you feel as a mum or the way you approach your next pregnancy.

One thing I highly recommend is taking time to revisit your experience with God. That might include working with a Christian doula, someone trained in birth debriefing or general prayer support with a faith-based approach. Sometimes we need to ask questions, express emotions, and allow God to speak truth into the places that still hurt.

Key truth: Your story deserves to be understood and healed—not just by professionals, but by the One who created you and your baby.

My Story

Let’s get to it, I want to share my testimony with you. A few days after my baby’s birth, I found myself in a very dark and lonely place. I had spent five long days in the hospital postpartum ward. Coming home, I wasn’t the confident mum I had expected to be. Instead, I was bed-bound with a catheter, recovering from surgery, exhausted, and in pain from breastfeeding.

I relied heavily on my husband, my mum and my mother-in-law. I couldn’t lift my baby without help, and because we were combo feeding, I felt like I wasn’t enough. I couldn’t soothe or feed him the way I wanted to. The guilt, sadness, and fear were overwhelming.

I felt like I couldn’t meet my baby’s basic needs. I wasn’t the strong mum I had imagined I’d be.

I also experienced daily flashbacks from my traumatic birth. I would cry in the shower, cry while trying to comfort my newborn. I felt broken—and ashamed that I didn’t feel more joy in those early days of motherhood.

A Turning Point: Debriefing with a Christian Doula

During pregnancy, I had attended a beautiful Christian prayer retreat led by Helena, a doula who also incorporates hypnobirthing principles with faith-based support. After my son was born, I reached out to her again for a birth debrief.

We had three powerful sessions together. In each one, we revisited the hardest parts of my maternity experience—my labour, the birth, and those first overwhelming days postpartum. We prayed, reflected, and invited God into the pain.

We asked God to speak His truth over the trauma, and I felt the shame lift off me.

Helena held space with gentleness and wisdom. She didn’t rush me. I closed my eyes for most of the sessions to stay connected, and I never felt embarrassed. Slowly, through prayer and reflection, healing came.

From Trauma to Triumph: A Renewed View of Birth and Motherhood

Today, I look back on my son’s birth not with pain, but with pride. I see how strong we were—my husband, my baby, and me. I love being a mum and I love telling our birth story.

In my role as a coach, trainer and speaker I encourage women to use their stories to inspire and support others. I love the bible verse, “beauty for ashes” as I believe God uses our stories for good when we let him heal our brokenness and equip us with the faith and confidence to step into our calling as mums and in our spheres of influence.

If you’re facing a new pregnancy or still holding grief or shame from a past birth, I want to encourage you: you can bring it to the light of God. Whether you work with a doula, counsellor, or Christian birth partner, healing is possible. And it can start with just one honest prayer.

There is so much beauty on the other side of healing. And you don’t have to get there alone.

Are You Ready to Debrief with God?

If you're preparing for birth again—or still navigating the emotions of early motherhood—don't ignore what’s still lingering beneath the surface. Working with a Christian doula can give you space to reflect, reframe, and restore.

Whether you're exploring hypnobirthing from a faith perspective or just need a safe space to pray and process, you're not alone. Reach out, and find someone who can walk that journey with you.