On the 19th January 2022 I nearly died giving birth to my beautiful little boy Theodore and he was critically ill during the first ten weeks of his life, first from Jaundice and then developing Sepsis from Covid. It wasn’t the easiest start to motherhood and our journey.

I didn’t know Birth Trauma existed, it wasn’t in the birth books or covered in the classes. The Birth Trauma Association and their Facebook group provided me with a place to talk to others that had similar experiences and truly understood. The Birth Trauma Association saved me in many ways and I couldn’t ever repay them for their help.

A year on and I’ve decided to face my biggest fear and abseil 128ft down Peel Tower with a group of friends and family to raise money for the Birth Trauma Association. It is run almost entirely by volunteers so everything goes directly towards their work.

The Birth Trauma Association supports parents - both mothers and partners - who are experiencing distress after a traumatic birth, whether that's full-blown postnatal PTSD (which affects about 30,000 women a year) or other forms of distress such as depression or anxiety. Birth trauma can be immensely difficult to live with, and parents often find there is no one they can talk to about the experience. Their Facebook group, a safe place where parents can support each other, has grown to more than 14,000 members. They also offer support by phone and over email.