The Power of Words: A Birth Story with Liz Gray

This week, Liz Gray, LCSW, RPT, shares her birth story in which she explores the complex feelings she has about the OB at her birth, who provided physically good medical care but whose language and attitude was extremely harmful. Her story includes navigating a lack of trauma-informed care during infertility treatment, a birth center to hospital birth transfer, an unplanned a cesarean birth, and a misdiagnosis of "failure to thrive" for her baby by her first pediatrician. A thread that weaves throughout her story is the impact of our words and how not being trauma-informed can add layers of trauma to what are already challenging prenatal, childbirth, and postpartum experiences, especially for survivors of trauma. To start our conversation, Liz shares the words of Kayleigh Summers, LCSW, PMH-C, from her Instagram (@thebirthtrauma_mama), who is also host of The Birth Trauma Mama Podcast. On the Resilient Birth podcast, Justine and Sarah explore the impact of trauma in the perinatal period. Through an inspirational quote that drives the weekly content, Justine and Sarah explore various trauma areas with vulnerability and compassion that support birthing people and birth professionals. Each week, listeners leave with takeaways to utilize in their lives and/or clients. Justine and Sarah hold the stories they share with honor and respect with the hope to impart knowledge, increase understanding, and bear witness to this challenging topic. Sarah is a licensed mental health counselor, educator, and mom of three. She walks with a story of trauma from before and as a result of her perinatal experience. Justine supports survivors of trauma through perinatal coaching and childbirth education. As well as being a mother of three, she holds a Ph.D. on representations of consent and sexual violence. Learn more about Sarah and Justine's course called Trauma Informed Fundamentals here: https://resilient-birth.mykajabi.com/traumainformedfundamentals Liz Gray, LCSW, RPT is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Registered Play Therapist, and certified EMDR therapist in Illinois. She is a Highly Sensitive Person, wife, human & goldendoodle momma, organizer, forever learner, quiet leader, social introvert, think-outside-the-box creator, trauma survivor, and infertility warrier. Liz is the proud co-founder of the Trauma-Informed Maternal Health Directory, an online directory that connects women in all phases of trying to conceive, infertility, pregnancy, birth & early parenthood to trauma-informed health and mental health providers.