A dear woman contacted me.  15 months after her cesarean, it was still hard for her to read my posts without crying.  This simply broke my heart.  She is not alone.  There are many women who carry the grief and pain of their traumatic vaginal or cesarean births or the loss of their baby.  Every. Day.

So I asked on Facebook for resources for women who are in the midst of the processing and grieving.  Here is the list.  If you know of more, whether they are on-line or in-person groups, for free or a fee, please leave a comment.

None of these groups or individuals have been checked out or endorsed by VBAC Facts®.  This is simply a list of resources for you to check out.

It saddens me to say this but there are individuals and groups who find and share the stories of loss moms in order to berate them.  Please be careful when sharing information on the internet as anything you post on-line can be easily shared with others outside your closed/private internet group.  There is no such thing as privacy on the internet.  Being anonymous and not providing your home address or identifying information are ways to get around this.

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Doulas of Orange County: This amazing group runs a VBAC support group that is also a space for women to process a traumatic birth.

Joy in Bereavement was created to form a community of support for bereaved parents in the Antelope Valley and Santa Clarita Valley, and raise Pregnancy & Infant Loss Awareness.

This website provides support, resources, and awareness around planned out-of-hospital births that end in cesareans, referred to as Homebirth Cesareans (HBC).

Sacred Healing Facebook group: Connect with others who can hold space for you, understand and can relate through shared experiences.

Stillbirthday has a comprehensive list of immediate resources (like crisis hotlines, books, and websites) and long term resources (like workshops and retreats.)

Solace for Mothers

Barbara-ann Horner: I volunteer for Postpartum Support International and most moms who call experience a traumatic birth message me i can find more resources or chat if you’d like

ICAN, the International Cesarean Awareness Network, is awesome. You can go to their website ican-online.org and there’s a ton of info and local support groups to join. I joined one after experiencing a very traumatic cesarean section and it’s been so helpful in the healing process.

The Dunamas Center does a lot of work with birth trauma.

http://www.humanizebirth.org/ has some resources and you can contact the ladies running the page and have our story added to the campaign as well, there is also a Facebook page and group for women to share their stories and talk to others who have been through traumatic birth events as well

BEBA clinic (Ray Castelino)

Babycenter has a “Disappointing Birth Experiences” board….

Online, I recently found the Birth Trauma Association. They’re wonderful! They also have a group on Facebook.

I know Nancy Wainer offers group workshops in the Massachusetts  area. Janel Mirendah also works in group or individually on birth trauma, she did a workshop when she came to do a screening of The Other Side of the Glass.

@backline is a great resource. They have a free talkline for birth or miscarriage trauma.

Birthing From Within Birth Story. Listening is amazing.

Birthtalk in Australia!!! They do free group sessions in Australia (Queensland) & personal sessions (also via Skype for international). They are the best

There’s a Birth Crisis group, as well as a CBAC group out there, I know both those group owners and they work hard to keep it safe.

A lady I know who had a stillbirth at 36 weeks is on a site called www.facesofloss.com. “Faces of Loss, Faces of Hope: Putting a face on miscarriage, stillbirth and infant loss.”

Geneviève Prono: I have been helping women heal from a traumatic and difficult birth and prepare for another birth, for twenty years. I do in person and group sessions by skype and am currently writing a book and putting some programs in place. The site in French (apparently google translates it) www.chrysalidefrance.com. What brought me to this three c-sections followed by three VBACs.

Tiffany Hoffman: I do individual birth trauma resolution as well as those who have had difficult or disappointing birth experiences. I have also created a birth trauma workshop, so that women who don’t live here can travel for a weekend intensive to start the healing process. They also learn several ways to continue processing their experience and feelings on their own. My website is www.sacredbirthspace.com

Linda Llone Hinchliffe: Our Birth Choices group offer emotional support to anyone who needs it…

Birth Matters of Fort Wayne, IN offers a Traumatic Birth Healing/Healing for Birth class several times a year. From personal experience – it’s just what my husband and I needed.

There’s a group in Virginia called Mothers Healing Together.

Lexi Abeln: I facilitate a free support group in Camp Hill, PA called Birthlight.

Birth after Caesarean Support and Information Group in Townsville, Queensland, Australia

Canaustralia.net — Empowering birthing women to make informed decisions about childbirth after caesarean

There’s a yoga studio local to me in Pittsburgh, PA that does a traumatic birth workshop.

Precious sleeping angles – group on Facebook

Stillbirth support – group on Facebook

Resources for men

Grieving fathers – group on Facebook

You can also follow the thread I posted on my Facebook page about this for more information or to contact the individuals above who offer counseling.

Do you have a resource you would like to add to the list? Please include it in the comments.