The Support Systems Every Family Needs After a Complicated Birth

Families rarely anticipate what support systems they need in place when birth goes awry. Not only can life get complicated in the weeks and months following a difficult delivery, but also with unique medical concerns, post-traumatic stress or even blame where a prenatal doctor or hospital worker previously believed was doing a good job. Knowing the types of support that are available can exponentially shift how families fare moving forward.

Medical Support Beyond the Hospital Walls

Upon leaving the hospital, families often think that their medical support is over, but for most, this is just the beginning. A neonatologist follow-up clinic will become necessary to assure that any developmental concerns from the challenging birth no longer remain and without necessary early intervention services (like physiotherapy, occupational therapy, etc.) that’s just not likely to happen.

For example, babies and parents often exhibit developmental delays as early as a month after diagnosis, requiring treatment that generally starts within a week or two of birth. Beyond basic treatment, however, families are often equipped with notes to take at home as they wish this therapist to come to their home to encourage further growth and independence challenges. Even speech and language therapy occurs with more regularity than people understand—often starting well before a decade out.

Some families don’t even realize that their physical healing needs extra support, too. Often, from birth trauma or PTSD, mothers need extended physiotherapy sessions, counseling for birth trauma or at least support where they have time to regain their footing. Everyone thinks so much about what happens to the baby (and yes, this is critical), that recovery for the other parent is often sidelined as they get back on their feet as quickly as possible.

Psychosocial Support That’s Often Forgotten

Psychologically complicated births span the entirety of one’s life and last longer than even expected. Parents can feel deeply grieved not only for what they lost physically in the experience (emotional scars), but wrongfully guilty for what might have been done differently or avoided had they paid more attention to doctor cues. Unfortunately, this anxiety can spin into fears that exist throughout the rearing of the child—something birth trauma counseling focuses heavily on in efforts to recenter perspectives on what happened versus what can be done moving forward with effective coping mechanisms.

Support groups exist both in person and online; sometimes talking to another parent who’s been up all night stressing over their changed child forever after their own life-altering experience during a complicated birth can help ease the burden immensely—allowing them to understand the scars they’re carrying.

Siblings also feel disconnected from the family dynamic sometimes—young children have a hard time understanding why their new brother/sister has special needs and/or why Mom and Dad seem different. Family counseling (or even sibling counselors who work with such young populations) helps transition everyone into a new normal while maintaining healthy relationships during a problematic time.

Legal Support When Necessary

Finally, if complications spawn from delivery due to reduced quality of care elsewhere, many families want to know what their rights are. A lot of family members aren’t sure if a claim should be sought after or if it’s inappropriate because they were “given free help” or something along those lines. The truth is that in order to access your child’s potential lifelong resources (until many transition into adulthood), it’s paramount to cover your own bases and understand such rights—especially if there’s a small chance that medical malpractice took place.

In some instances, a Brain Injury At Birth Claim can be pursued when it’s clear that apart from compensation, no matter what treatment provided fell below the standard of care. This means an independent solicitor can support why things should/should not have happened post-delivery in obtaining records/assessments from your medical team and reassessing family dynamics relative to what’s found—often allowing family members to get answers they otherwise would not have known in their own head this entire time.

The Wrong Support Isn’t Support At All

Support is often lacking in volume when it comes to determining what’s best for your family. Some families find that pregnancy and birthing equipment needs adjustments for height and size; others find there’s an immediate need for private therapy assessment sessions within weeks or months. Many advocate for changes, while others seek out assessment for home adjustments down the road—meaning it’s best to side with what’s necessary and when before assuming everything will fall into place otherwise.

Once an assessment is made and doctor’s notes are compared, you can determine if you find yourself reputable in comparison without searching elsewhere to get it done faster. It’s better to have no support than the wrong kind of support because these changes take time—and sometimes you need someone who’s been through it before to tell you what’s best for your situation.

Support can come from local charities and other cities like Citizens Advice or local authority disability services that can inform money matters or those educated closer to home about what’s next. Some families talk with various charities who offer respite care or equipment loans—funding focused therapy that other sources wouldn’t otherwise approve.

Building support takes time and patience. GP practices may be more able to tell you about what’s happening in town than community nurses/talk to a local parent-infant support worker who can direct you from information they know relative to how long it’s all been going on. Many parent-infant support workers are there after a couple of early years sessions before those first few challenging months dawn on unfortunate families.

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Don’t be afraid, however, to ask for help before it’s too late. Sometimes, it’s easier said than done for when it happens to make sense for you, but by reaching out for help where you need it and recognizing what other families didn’t need it, you’ll carve out your own unique niche that’s right for your baby.

There rarely exists an easy transition post-delivery—life will level punches as it sees fit—but when you learn how best to play defense after everyone else has gone through the offense, you’ll get back on track as soon as possible!