Birth Trauma Therapy in Los Angeles
What happened to you during birth matters, even if everyone’s okay now.
Specialized therapy, including EMDR, for parents who went through a frightening, painful, or disappointing birth, and the partners who were there.
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In Hermosa Beach, Culver City & West Los Angeles
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Online across California
• In Hermosa Beach, Culver City & West Los Angeles • Online across California
When Your Birth Story Still Feels Stuck
Everyone keeps telling you the important thing is that the baby is healthy. And you are grateful. But you can't stop replaying the moment the room filled with people, the beeping of the monitors, or the feeling that no one was listening to you. Maybe you avoid driving past the hospital, tense up when someone asks how the birth went, or can't imagine ever doing it again.
At Mother Nurture Therapy Group, we know birth trauma isn't about whether a birth looked traumatic from the outside. It's about how it felt to you. An emergency cesarean, a hemorrhage, a NICU stay, feeling dismissed or out of control, or a birth that went nothing like you hoped can all leave a lasting mark. Therapy, including EMDR, can help your mind and body hold the experience as something that happened, instead of something that keeps happening.
Birth trauma looks different for everyone.
You might notice
Replaying the birth, flashbacks, or nightmares
Avoiding reminders: the hospital, your OB, birth stories, photos
Feeling on edge, jumpy, or unable to relax
Anger at your care team, your partner, or yourself
Guilt, or feeling like your body failed
Feeling numb or disconnected from your baby
Fear of another pregnancy or birth
Panic before medical appointments
What you went through deserves care. With support, you can remember your birth without reliving it.
how we can help
We offer gentle, specialized care for birth trauma.
We start by helping you feel more grounded in the present: sleeping when you can, getting through appointments, and handling the moments that bring it all back. You never have to share more of your story than you're ready to.
When you're ready, we use EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing), a well-researched trauma therapy, to help process the memories that feel stuck. Many parents find that after EMDR they can think about the birth without the same wave of fear, anger, or shame. We also draw on attachment-based and body-focused approaches to help you feel safer in your own body again.
Birth trauma often touches the whole family. Partners who witnessed a frightening birth can carry it too, and they're welcome in sessions. If you're thinking about another pregnancy, we can help you plan for a different experience and, with your consent, coordinate with your OB or midwife.
Therapy for birth trauma can help you
Think about your birth without reliving it
Sleep and rest without the replay
Feel more connected to your baby
Let go of guilt about what your body did or didn't do
Make sense of what happened and why
Feel safer at medical appointments
Talk about the birth with your partner
Prepare for a future pregnancy or birth
Areas We Support
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Emergency or Unplanned Cesarean
When surgery happened fast, felt frightening, or wasn't what you planned
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Complications & Medical Emergencies
Hemorrhage, preeclampsia, emergency delivery, or fearing for your life or your baby's
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NICU Stays
Weeks of monitors, medical decisions, and leaving the hospital without your baby
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Feeling Unheard During Birth
Being dismissed, rushed, or not asked before something was done to your body
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A Birth That Didn't Go as Planned
Grieving the birth you hoped for, even when it looked fine to everyone else
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Partners Who Witnessed a Traumatic Birth
Partners carry it too, often without anyone asking
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Birth Trauma with Postpartum Depression or Anxiety
When the birth and the months after it feel tangled together
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Pregnancy After a Traumatic Birth
Fear of the next birth and planning for a different experience
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Birth After Infertility or Loss
When a long road to this baby adds another layer to a hard birth
Who You’ll See
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Yael Sherne
Founder & Clinical Director,
Licensed Marriage & Family TherapistTrained in EMDR and perinatal mental health
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Sarah Bederman
Associate Marriage & Family Therapist
Trained in EMDR and Perinatal Mental Health Certified
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Brooke Friedberg
Associate Marriage & Family Therapist, Associate Professional Clinical Counselor
Trauma-informed with additional training in perinatal mental health
GETTING STARTED
Schedule a free call
Share what’s going on and your goals for therapy. Our Care Coordinator will thoughtfully match you with the right therapist, schedule your first session, and set up your secure client portal.
Begin care
In your first session, you’ll share your story, why you’re here, and what you hope will feel different. Together, we’ll start building a path forward.
Heal at the roots
You’ll get practical tools to use right away while we begin connecting the dots from your past to integrate lasting change. Steadiness, connection, and trust in yourself start becoming your new normal.
Prefer in-person or online?
We offer therapy and EMDR for birth trauma in person in Hermosa Beach, Culver City, and West Los Angeles, and via telehealth throughout California.
FAQs
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Birth trauma is the emotional impact of a birth that felt frightening, painful, out of control, or deeply disappointing. It can follow an emergency, a complication, a NICU stay, or care that left you feeling unheard. What matters is how the birth felt to you, not how it looked from the outside.
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Yes. Many parents hear that a healthy baby is all that matters, and that can make it harder to speak up. You can be deeply grateful for your baby and still be affected by what you went through to bring them into the world.
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Many parents describe parts of their birth as traumatic, and some go on to develop post-traumatic stress symptoms. Rates are higher after emergency deliveries, serious complications, or a NICU stay. You don't need a diagnosis to deserve support.
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EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) is a well-researched therapy for trauma. It helps your brain process a memory that feels stuck, so you can think about the birth without the same rush of fear, anger, or shame. Many parents find it works faster than talk therapy alone.
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EMDR is a structured therapy with no medication involved, and it’s commonly used during pregnancy and postpartum. We pace the work around your sleep, feeding, and how much capacity you have, and we check in with your OB or midwife if needed.
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Yes. Partners who watched a frightening birth, an emergency, or a NICU stay can carry their own trauma, often without anyone asking how they're doing. Partners can get individual support, and we can also work with you as a couple.
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Yes. Therapy can help you process the last birth, understand what you need this time, and plan for a different experience, including how to talk with your care team. With your consent, we're happy to coordinate with your OB or midwife.
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Yes. EMDR can be done by video, and many parents prefer it in the early months. Video sessions are available anywhere in California.
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Mother Nurture Therapy Group offers birth trauma therapy at our offices in Hermosa Beach, Culver City, and West LA, and by telehealth anywhere in California. Our EMDR-trained therapists include Yael Sherne, LMFT, and Sarah Bederman, AMFT, PMH-C, a certified perinatal mental health specialist.
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As a private-pay practice, our rates reflect each clinician's specialized training and the time we invest in your care. We provide superbills for possible out-of-network reimbursement, and you can find current rates on our FAQ page.
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Book a free 15-minute consultation. Our Care Coordinator will talk through what you're looking for, match you with the right therapist and office, and schedule your first session.
