Brittany Moffitt, LICSW

10/01/2025

Maybe your baby got “stuck.”
Maybe there were loud voices, quick decisions, sudden pressure on your belly.
Maybe the room shifted from calm to chaotic in a matter of seconds.
Maybe you heard “we need to move now” before you even understood what was happening.
And maybe afterward, everyone said “Well at least the baby is okay.”
But who checked if YOU were okay?
Shoulder dystocia isn’t always spoken about as birth trauma but it can be depending on how it impacted you.
Because trauma isn’t just about what happened physically.
It’s about how your nervous system responded in the moment.
If you still replay that moment…
If your heart races thinking about what could have happened…
If you feel guilty, angry, or confused then you deserve a space to process it.

As a birth trauma therapist, I guide women who experienced difficult, disappointing or traumatic births find healing.

Follow along for more content.

09/24/2025

Our words have power. After a difficult birth, what a mother hears can either lift her up or weigh her down.
If you’re a partner, friend, or grandparent supporting a mom navigating postpartum after birth trauma, here are examples of validating words that truly help. 🤎

And remember: your calm, steady presence often speaks louder than words. Healing doesn’t happen in isolation. Let’s surround postpartum mothers with love and support.

What’s one supportive phrase you’ve said or heard that made a difference during postpartum? 👇
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09/15/2025

The physical recovery is often talked about the most in postpartum. You may expect body changes and sleepless nights. But what isn’t talked about enough is the emotional and mental changes postpartum. It can be overwhelming waves of anxiety you can’t turn off and sadness you didn’t expect. In this first conversation of ‘real postpartum talks’, I sit down with my sister-in-law Hwa—8 months postpartum—who bravely shares her story about the emotional side of motherhood that too often goes unseen.

Save this for when you need a reminder: postpartum isn’t just physical, and share it with other moms who need to know they are not alone and support is available.

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09/05/2025

✨ This is the group I wish I had in those first postpartum days. A space to sit with women who get it.

After a hard or traumatic birth, the days can feel isolating like you’re in uncharted territory. And I know, the last thing you need to hear is “at least the baby is healthy,” when your whole world has been shaken. For me, that looked like navigating the NICU, recovering from pre-eclampsia, and being completely rocked by the unpredictable nature of birth.

Now, I’m honored to hold space for moms in our support circle- located in Howard County. This is a place to process what still feels heavy. Not to relive it, but to heal from it. To notice what still feels stuck, to understand how your story lives in your body today, and to find relief in community.

Because there’s something about healing together that brings a level of validation, acknowledgement, and support that simply can’t be found in isolation. 🤎

👉 Interested in joining? please email me: brittany@worthytolivetherapy.com and I'll send an interest form to your inbox!

08/05/2025

TW: Birth Trauma

If your c-section was scheduled or it was a sudden shift from your birth plan, it’s important to reflect on how you felt during the surgery.
-Was your pain taken seriously?
-Did you feel seen and heard?
-Were you informed of what was going on?

Too many women leave c-section surgeries feeling helpless, powerless, and alone in their experience.

C-sections are the most frequently performed major surgeries in the world and many women are expected to recover in 2-3 weeks and return to work as usual 🤯.

But birth is not just a physical event, it has an emotional impact too. Working with a birth trauma therapist, you can finally heal the most difficult parts of your birth story.

In our sessions, you’re allowed to hold both: Gratefulness for your child AND grief or anger about how they arrived. You deserve a space where you don’t have to “act like everything is fine” out of fear of being judged.

🫶Let’s process this together because you’re worthy of it.

07/29/2025

"Am I a bad mother for struggling after birth?"

I can’t tell you how often I’ve heard this common question sometimes whispered through tears, sometimes hidden behind a brave smile.

Because here's the thing no one prepares you for:
Postpartum isn’t always a soft landing.

It can feel raw, disorienting, and deeply lonely.
Especially when you’re scared to say what you’re really feeling out loud.

Maybe you’ve been there, sitting across from your pediatrician OB/GYN or, silently wondering if they’d judge you if you were honest.

Maybe you've told yourself:
“I should be grateful.”
“Other moms are doing fine.”
“If I admit how bad it feels, they might think I’m unfit.”

But let me gently interrupt that voice.

You are not a bad mother for struggling.
You are not broken.
You are not weak.
You are someone who just experienced one of the most intense physical and emotional transitions a human can go through.

Struggle after birth isn’t a sign of failure. It’s a sign that you’re human.
And humans heal best with help, not silence.

You can move from just surviving each day to feeling calm, connected, and fully present in your motherhood.

In my 1:1 Birth trauma therapy, we’ll gently uncover and process the emotional weight your body and mind are still carrying.

So you can finally stop questioning what’s “wrong with you” and start feeling safe in your body, confident as a mom, and deeply bonded with your baby.

DM “HEAL” to schedule a free 15-minute consultation call, and I’ll show you how we’ll get there.

07/25/2025

"It must not have been that bad… I have a healthy baby".
"Other moms had it worse.”
"Maybe I’m just not strong enough".

These are the thoughts so many mothers carry after a difficult or traumatic childbirth.
They sound rational… even protective.

But in reality?
These are beliefs shaped by unspoken birth trauma, emergency C-sections, prolonged NICU stays, postpartum complications, feeling ignored by providers, and the silence that follows, wrapped in unrealistic cultural expectations of what motherhood should look like.

They keep you stuck:
In guilt.
In shame.
In emotional shutdown.
And they quietly whisper, “You don’t deserve help.”

But what no one tells you is:
-You can love your baby and still be grieving your birth.
-Your trauma is valid even if others don’t understand it.
-You are not weak; you survived something your nervous system is still recovering from.

I’ve worked with many mothers who held onto these beliefs for months… sometimes years.
And I’ve seen the transformation when they finally heard someone say:

“You’re not broken. You’re carrying trauma. And that can be healed.”

If this post feels tender to read…share this post if you wish someone told you this sooner.

07/24/2025

Many mothers speak about their anxiety, mood swings, or the guilt that sneaks in with intrusive thoughts.

They mention feeling powerless, scared, voiceless, or deeply hurt, but often not in a way that actually brings relief. It's like they're sharing, yet still carrying the weight.

They’ve learned how to perform it, mask it, minimize it to make it sound less scary, less messy, more digestible to others.

This is because;
✨Too often, people don’t want the full truth.
✨ They want a tidy version: They believe all births should be a celebration
✨Baby’s healthy-that’s what matters, right?

But what about you?
⚡What about the tension that still sits heavy in your chest?
⚡The guilt that creeps in every time you look at your child?
⚡The story you’re still carrying but have never felt safe enough to say out loud?

That’s why I created my 1:1 Birth trauma therapy for mothers who have experienced trauma during pregnancy, birth, and postpartum.

Because too many mothers are living in silence,
Performing strength… while quietly falling apart.

In our work together, you’ll begin to understand:
👉 Why you feel so disconnected
👉 How your birth experience shaped your nervous system
👉 And what steps can lead to your healing

Inside,this personalized support, I’ll help you move from confusion to clarity, from self-blame to self-compassion, from survival mode to a deeper sense of wholeness.

DM “Heal” to schedule a free 15-minute consultation call with me.

In just one call, I’ll help you explore what healing could look like for you.

PS: I offer in-person therapy in Columbia, Maryland, and virtual therapy throughout Maryland & DC.

07/15/2025

Not all birth trauma looks the same. Because not all birth experiences are treated equally.

If you’ve ever felt dismissed, disrespected, or unsafe during birth, especially because of who you are or how you were perceived, that’s not just unfortunate. That’s trauma.

You deserve to be heard, to be respected, to have your needs met, to birth without fear of judgment

Because good maternity care for all should be a reality not a privilege.

Feel free to share this post to help raise awareness during Birth Trauma Awareness Week 2025

Tell us what’s one way care failed you, or one way it helped you feel safe?

Together, we can push for maternity care that honors every parent.

06/02/2024

05/22/2024