Gentle, trauma-informed
birth reflection sessions
with Olivia Silverwood-Cope
NHS Midwife • yoga teacher • trauma-informed practitioner
Online or in-person in Stroud, Gloucestershire
Some birth experiences can be distressing.
If yours has left you feeling unheard, unsafe or with a lingering sense that something isn’t right, you’re not alone.
A birth reflection session offers space to make sense of difficult, frightening or overwhelming experiences during birth, pregnancy and/or postpartum period, to understand your body’s responses, and find your way to clarity and self-compassion.
Together we gently reflect on what happened, focusing on how it has affected you and any questions or feelings that remain. Drawing on an understanding of birth physiology, maternity services, the nervous system and the body's stress responses, sessions support people to process experiences at a pace that feels safe and manageable, helping to bring validation, integration and peace.
I am an experienced midwife, trained doula and yoga teacher, currently training in Somatic Experiencing®.
My work brings together an understanding of birth physiology, trauma, the nervous system and the body’s innate capacity to heal.
You may benefit from a birth reflection if:
any part of your birth, pregnancy, conception journey or postpartum experience felt difficult, overwhelming or traumatic
you felt frightened, powerless, unsupported or unheard during labour or birth
interventions, procedures or unexpected events left you feeling overridden or distressed
you find yourself replaying parts of the experience in your mind
you avoid thinking or talking about what happened or feel emotionally numb or disconnected from it
flashbacks, intrusive thoughts, anxiety or strong emotional reactions continue to affect you
you struggle with feelings of guilt, grief, anger, shame or self-blame
you were told your birth was “fine” but it doesn’t feel fine to you
your experience is affecting your confidence, relationships, bonding, parenting or sense of self
you would like understanding, reassurance or support before a future pregnancy or birth
you’ve felt unsafe in yourself since your pregnancy and or birth
Kind Words
What happens in a birth reflection
We sit together for 75 minutes, either at my home in Stroud or online. The session begins simply, with whatever feels most present for you.
There is no pressure to tell your story in any particular way, or to share all of it. You might bring vivid memories or fragments of them, unanswered questions, emotions that surface without warning, difficulties bonding, ongoing body sensations, or simply a feeling that something about your birth, pregnancy or postpartum just doesn’t sit right. All of it is welcome.
Together we explore both the experience itself and the ways it may still be living in you now, physically, emotionally, and within your nervous system. Drawing on Peter Levine’s Somatic Experiencing® work and my understanding of birth physiology and trauma, we notice patterns of tension, overwhelm or shutdown, and gently support the nervous system toward regulation and integration.
The focus isn’t on retelling traumatic events from beginning to end. Instead we work with the parts of your experience that feel most charged, at your pace, with care, helping you begin to process what you’ve been holding.
If you have your birth notes, we can look at them together, or you can send them to me in advance to read through, though this is entirely optional. Some people come with specific questions about decisions that were made, why plans changed, or why particular interventions were needed. Others simply need their experience fully witnessed. Whatever your reasons and hopes for wanting to have a birth reflection, they are valid and welcome.
The session aims to help you make sense of what happened, reconnect with your body’s own wisdom and strength, and move toward greater understanding, self-compassion and peace. For some people, thinking about a future birth is part of that while for others simply want to feel more settled in themselves and in parenthood.
In the days following your session, I send you a detailed personal letter drawing together everything we have explored: the themes that emerged, moments that mattered, and insights that surfaced. People return to these letters again and again and report that they help consolidate what the session began, give language to things that can be hard to hold, and offer a reference point to come back to whenever it is needed.
There is also the option of a personalised yoga nidrã practice, carefully tailored to the specific themes, emotions and nervous system responses that arose through your birth story, a gentle somatic companion to the work we do in the birth reflection process. A recording of the practice is included afterwards for ongoing support and integration.
Birth reflection session (75 mins): £120
Personalised one-to-one yoga nidrã + bespoke recording: £95
What clients say
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“I attended a birth reflection session with Oli and found it incredibly helpful in coming to terms with my birth experience and its impact on me. Oli was kind, compassionate and deeply understanding, helping me reframe what had happened during the birth. Her summary email afterwards brought real clarity to our discussion and gently challenged some of my negative thinking. I felt truly heard and understood throughout the process. Oli’s midwifery knowledge and guidance were also invaluable when thinking about future births. Overall, the sessions helped me begin to heal and move forward, and I would wholeheartedly recommend her to anyone wanting support to process their birth story.” — former client
“I had a 1:1 session with Oli to debrief and talk about my birth experience that happened a year and a half before. I experienced a long and painful birth which was planned at home, but eventually ended up in the hospital, and “..although I delivered my baby vaginally as I wished for, the whole experienced left me with a lot of fear about birthing again and a disturbing feeling of trauma stored somewhere in my body…”
“I felt the need to talk to a professional with experience in birthing babies to go through my story, understand better what took place, and find a sense of peace and closure. Oli was the perfect person for me to turn to and I am soooo grateful for the space she held, the questions she asked, the connections she made and her absolutely heartfelt open, compassionate and tender guidance throughout my whole process of unraveling… I felt her interest, her will to serve and help me to be really genuine. This session brought me a lot of release and healing. I now feel like I understand the circumstances of my birth far better and I think that if I were to become pregnant again, I would come to that birth with renewed confidence and faith in my body and in the process, thanks to Oli.” DB
“Thank you so much for your time yesterday and for welcoming us into your home. The summary of the conversation is an incredibly helpful record to have and I think it captures what we talked about beautifully and with so much empathy. I found myself tearing up (in a good way!) while reading it through the first time and have read it through several times since and shared it with my husband too.”
I didn't expect doing a birth reflection to be so powerful. I'm very grateful to have had the opportunity to attend the course and to talk with you one on one.” RP
I wasn’t sure I was traumatised enough for a birth reflection, but I just couldn’t get over my disappointment with how things had gone. Oli was more interested in how I felt about it all then what had actually happened, which was hugely validating and the first time my feelings made sense. Since my session, I do feel lighter and calmer.“
I felt really comfortable and held with Oli. The session was far reaching but also grounding. I felt heard and given the space and time to reflect and to show my former self grace and gentleness and kindness. Thank you Oli - the session has stayed with me - helpfully and usefully - and I'm so grateful for the time with you.
“I was trying to find the words to capture how grateful I was for our session and for your email, which has helped to clarify our discussion in my head, and I have returned to it several times to reinforce a new (and more positive) narrative I want to believe about my birth. When I first read it, I felt immediately heard and understood.” SF
Let's work together
Every journey starts with a single step. Reach out today for a complimentary 15-minute phone conversation
email: oscope71@gmail.com