My name is Alexsis A. Gilles. I am writing to shed light on an often overlooked, yet deeply personal and impactful experience: traumatic childbirth. As a mother who has recently endured a traumatic birth, I have come to realize how isolating and emotionally overwhelming such an experience can be. While childbirth is commonly celebrated as a joyful milestone, for many women, including myself, it can be marked by fear, complications, and lasting psychological effects.

In Staten Island, and indeed across much of the United States, policies surrounding postpartum care often fail to meet the genuine needs of mothers who have experienced these traumatic births. The physical and emotional recovery from such an experience can be extensive, yet the medical system does not always provide the necessary follow-up care to support healing and mental health recovery.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that postpartum depression affects 1 in 8 new mothers, a statistic that underscores the need for increased mental health support for women. When factoring in birth trauma, the urgency becomes even more stark. However, most hospitals are not mandated to provide sufficient postpartum follow-up that aligns with the severity of what many women are experiencing.

I’d like to work on implementing structured postpartum care for birth trauma in hospitals because it addresses a critical and often overlooked gap in maternal healthcare. By requiring hospitals in Staten Island to offer comprehensive follow-up care, including mental health support and physical rehabilitation services, we can drastically improve the quality of life for new mothers. Expanded leave policies and postpartum standards that recognize the full scope of birth recovery are essential for fostering an environment of healing and support, etc.

Let us acknowledge the profound impact of traumatic birth experiences and ensure that all mothers have access to the care that truly honors their recovery needs. Please sign this petition to urge our local hospitals and health care systems to adopt enhanced postpartum care standards for the benefit of all mothers in Staten Island.