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<\/p>\nHolly Richardson struggled with flashbacks, anxiety and overwhelming feelings following the birth of her first daughter Indigo<\/p>\n
Holly Richardson and her partner Liam McCourt following the birth of their daughter Indigo (Image: Chronicle Live)<\/p>\n
A mum who experienced a traumatic birth with her first child now runs a business which helps expectant parents prepare for childbirth. Holly Richardson was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after welcoming her daughter Indigo, now four, into the world.<\/p>\n
The 33-year-old, from Seaton Delaval<\/a>, Northumberland<\/a>, said she had a difficult pregnancy, her waters broke two weeks early and she did not fully understand what was happening leading up to the birth at Northumbria Specialist Emergency Care Hospital<\/a> in Cramlington<\/a>.<\/p>\n Holly had complications during birth and says it left her unable to sit up or walk and she had to have surgery to correct it two days after birth.<\/p>\n Holly with her partner Liam and their two children Indigo and Orla(Image: Sophie Dunleavy Photography )<\/p>\n Despite working as a Mental Health Therapist and supporting others with anxiety and trauma, Holly said nothing prepared her for the impact her own birth experience would have on her mental health. She struggled with flashbacks, anxiety and overwhelming feelings.<\/p>\n While speaking to other pregnant women and new parents, Holly found many were researching birth, scrolling social media and listening to other people’s experiences but still felt anxious and unprepared. It inspired her to launch Birth Then Baby<\/a> – which helps people to prepare for birth with confidence.<\/p>\n Holly, who is also mum to Orla, 23 months, said: “It completely knocked me. I’d spent years helping other people manage their mental health and understood anxiety and trauma professionally, but nothing prepared me for how I felt after my own birth experience.<\/p>\n “I found myself replaying what had happened over and over again and questioning whether things could have been different. It was exhausting.<\/p>\n Holly Richardson set up Birth Then Baby after giving birth to her first child(Image: Chronicle Live)<\/p>\n “I had difficulties all through the pregnancy. My water broke at 35 weeks. I didn’t actually end up having her until two weeks later but there was lots of discussion of infection.<\/p>\n “I had an epidural that went wrong and I had a lot of complications after birth. I wasn’t able to sit up or walk. It’s an intense pain. I had to go back into theatre and get that fixed.<\/p>\n “I had flashbacks triggered by sensory things. The smell of bleach would remind of the hospital or if I heard someone’s birth story I would have flashbacks of mine at the hospital.<\/p>\n “I had quite a lot of therapy. It wasn’t necessarily what happened – it was not understanding the situation. I find that with a lot of the women I work with.<\/p>\n “The midwives are stretched and they don’t have the time to talk about things.”<\/p>\n Holly Richardson with her family (Image: Sophie Dunleavy Photography )<\/p>\n Holly has combined her background in mental health with evidence based birth education. She believes many parents are overwhelmed by the amount of information available during pregnancy but are often left without the confidence to put that information into practice.<\/p>\n The mum-of-two said: “I think people don’t even know where to start when it comes to preparing for birth. Sometimes they come away from appointments more confused then they went in.<\/p>\n “The second time around I felt anxious even though I had all the tools and information to help. I ended up having a home birth the second time and I had amazing care from the community midwives.<\/p>\n “The birth was classed as an emergency as she had a shoulder dystocia but I didn’t feel like it was. I had done the planning of what questions I needed to ask.<\/p>\n “Knowing something logically and feeling calm enough to use that knowledge are two very different things. My goal isn’t to tell people how they should give birth. Every family is different.<\/p>\n “I want parents to understand their options, feel confident asking questions and know they can cope, even if things don’t go exactly to plan.”<\/p>\n Holly offers one-day birth preparation courses at House Seven in Tynemouth<\/a> for \u00a3290. She also offers private one to one sessions across North Tyneside<\/a> and Northumberland<\/a> for \u00a3450.<\/p>\n The courses aim to help expectant parents understand how labour works, explore their options, make informed decisions and learn practical techniques to manage fear and uncertainty.<\/p>\n![\"Holly](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/1_IMG_6263jpeg.jpg\")
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