When you get pregnant the focus is on getting through 3 trimesters. You are guided through each stage of this change and your health and the health of the fetus are monitored with the utmost importance. Then birth happens and you enter into a new stage. But this time, no one is there to guide you, the expectations on your body and mind have increased, and outside of maybe 2 follow-up appointments you are on your own to figure out how to heal and survive the newness of parenthood. Why is there no talk of the 4 trimester? The trimester the births parenthood.

The Trauma Perspective is a discussion with Dr. Tasha Browning, a licensed mental health counselor, about trauma, mental health, and healing. These talks are about complicated experiences, complex topics, and resources to promote personal healing in your trauma work. 

Resources for Further Investigation: 

• https://www.cuimc.columbia.edu/news/mothers-guide-fourth-trimester

• https://eol.uchile.cl/assets/courseware/v1/d6b7e70e58c100689a7ff5b6882e2aff/asset-v1:eol+MED-GO+2021_1+type@asset+block/The_4th_Trimester-_A_Critical_Transition_Period_with_Unmet_Maternal_Health_Needs.pdf

• https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Kristin-Tully/publication/339379156_Optimizing_Maternal-Infant_Health_Ameliorating_the_Mismatch_between_Evolved_Dyadic_Needs_and_the_Current_Culture_of_Health_around_the_4th_TrimesterAmeliorating_the_Mismatch_between_Evolved_Dyadic_Need/links/619289d03068c54fa5eae831/Optimizing-Maternal-Infant-Health-Ameliorating-the-Mismatch-between-Evolved-Dyadic-Needs-and-the-Current-Culture-of-Health-around-the-4th-TrimesterAmeliorating-the-Mismatch-between-Evolved-Dyadic-Need.pdf

• https://www.birthtraumaassociation.org.uk/

• https://www.birthtrauma.org.au/what-is-birth-trauma/