
S7 EP193: Shari from Belly2Birth: Birth Trauma - How It’s Held and How to Move Through It
From Positive Birth Australia by Skye Waters
May 4, 2026 · 59 min · Season 7 · Episode 193
About this episode
This episode discusses the impact of birth trauma on women and the importance of processing these experiences.
This week on the show I’m joined by Shari from Belly2Birth, a birth educator of over 13 years and now trauma-informed coach whose work has evolved into supporting women through the deeper emotional layers of birth and beyond. In this conversation, we move into something that isn’t spoken about enough… the reality that more than 1 in 3 women walk away from birth carrying trauma. Today we explore how these experiences can stay with us long after birth… shaping the way we feel, respond, and move through motherhood. This is a powerful conversation that brings birth trauma into the light… highlighting the depth of impact these experiences can have on a woman’s body, mind, and sense of self… and how important it is to have the space, support, and tools to process and release them as part of this rite of passage. In this episode, we cover: The reality of birth trauma… and why it’s more common than we think How trauma can form through how a woman feels in her birth Shari’s personal experience and what shaped her work Why women can feel unheard or disconnected within the system The fawning response… and why many don’t speak up in the moment How trauma can show up later… often when…
People in this episode
Host: Skye Waters
Guest: Shari
Topics covered
- birth trauma
- emotional support
- motherhood
- trauma-informed coaching
- women's health
Keywords
- birth trauma
- emotional layers
- motherhood
- trauma processing
- women's experiences
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Belly2Birth
More episodes of Positive Birth Australia
- S7 EP194: Kristy Haszard: Three Positive Hospital Births / MGP / Spontaneous Labour at 36 Weeks / Low Platelets + Induction / Surprise Pregnancy at 20 Weeks / · May 17, 2026 · 1h 50m
- S7 EP192: Jaylene: Home Birth / Breech Baby / Under 4-Hour Labour / Deep Grief + Healing · April 26, 2026 · 1h 18m
- S7 EP191: Bianca Telford: Living with Epilepsy / “High Risk” Label / Hospital Birth / Freebirth at Home · March 28, 2026 · 1h 26m
- S7 EP190: Kaitlyn Shofay: Hospital Birth Trauma / Rare Face Presentation Birth at Home / Faith-led Freebirth · March 22, 2026 · 1h 35m
- S7 EP189: Emma Evans: Pregnancy After Loss / Rainbow Baby / Shortened Cervix / Publicly Funded Homebirth · March 14, 2026 · 57 min
- S7 EP188: Laura Gaschk: Private OB + Hospital Shower Birth / Fibroid + Risked Out of Birth Cottage / Postpartum Mental Health / Private Midwifery Care / Rural Birth Options / Homebirth · March 7, 2026 · 2h 31m
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