Ep 80. The Birth Experience We Don't Talk About: A Father's Perspective on Birth Trauma with Tiago Kunzendorff

<p>Preparing for motherhood is more than about knowing what to expect.</p><p><strong>Rewire for Birth</strong> helps you prepare your mind, body, nervous system, and intuition so you can move through pregnancy, birth, and motherhood with greater trust, confidence, and connection to yourself.</p><p><strong>Rewire your mind. Reclaim your birth.</strong></p><p>Learn more here: ⁠⁠<a href="https://rewireforbirth.com/"><u>Rewire for Birth</u></a></p><p><br></p><p>What happens to the birth partner when birth doesn&#39;t go as planned?</p><p>In this powerful conversation, we sit down with Tiago Kunzendorff, a father of three, to explore an often-overlooked part of the birth experience: what happens to the father or birth partner when they witness a traumatic birth.</p><p>Tiago shares the story of his first child&#39;s birth in 2004, which quickly became an emergency C-section.</p><p>He describes feeling completely powerless, disconnected, and unsure of what he was supposed to do while watching his wife go through an intense medical emergency.</p><p>For years, he told the story as an incredible and somewhat shocking birth story—but he hadn&#39;t fully explored how the experience affected him.</p><p>This conversation opens the door to a different question:</p><p><strong>What happens to the father when he witnesses birth trauma?</strong></p><p>Tiago shares what it felt like to be treated as a supporting character, to feel like he was in the way, and to suddenly find himself standing in an operating room surrounded by doctors, blood, medical equipment, and uncertainty.</p><p>He also shares the emotional aftermath of his second child&#39;s birth, when his son experienced complications and spent time in the NICU.</p><p>Through these experiences, Tiago began to understand how much birth can imprint not only the mother, but the entire family.</p><p>In this episode, we explore:</p><ul><li><p>The often-overlooked experience of fathers during birth</p></li><li><p>Why birth partners can experience feelings of helplessness and powerlessness</p></li><li><p>Why traditional prenatal education may not prepare birth partners for the reality of birth</p></li><li><p>Tiago’s experience witnessing an emergency C-section</p></li><li><p>The emotional impact of watching someone you love experience a medical emergency</p></li><li><p>The difference between witnessing an experience and experiencing its emotional impact</p></li><li><p>The importance of including fathers and birth partners in