About Rachael:
Birth Trauma Survivor, RN, Advocate
After placenta accreta nearly took my life, I discovered the gap in birth trauma care—and dedicated my work to filling it.
My Story
The Silence After Survival
I created this space to bridge the gap I once faced—the silence after survival.
After a life-threatening case of placenta accreta during my third baby's delivery, I left the hospital grateful to be alive but completely
unprepared for what came next. The system had saved my body, but left my mind and relationships fractured.
In the months that followed, I grappled with panic, grief, and
a profound loss of identity. My husband Brad carried invisible trauma of his own—hypervigilance, emotional numbness, and a desperate need to protect us from what he couldn't control. Neither of us had language for what we were experiencing.
Partner Trauma After Birth: When Crisis Forces Change
When I discovered I was pregnant with my fourth child while still
processing the third birth's trauma, it forced a reckoning. Brad's pain had emerged as substance use—his attempt to cope with trauma no one acknowledged. Our recovery became intertwined: his sobriety, my healing, our rediscovery of one another.
I share this not for exposure, but for visibility. Partners experience
trauma too, and their stories matter.
Turning Pain into Purpose
Drawing on my nursing background and lived experience, I decided to turn my pain into purpose. I began creating the tools we desperately needed—evidence-informed, partner-inclusive resources for birth trauma recovery.
Today, I'm building a community of over 2,600 survivors and partners on Instagram—all while creating the comprehensive resources I wish had existed when we needed them most.
How I Support You
The Birth Trauma Recovery Toolkit is my first comprehensive resource of many—bringing together everything I've learned about birth trauma recovery for survivors and their partners. When you download it, you'll receive practical guidance, partner-inclusive resources, and validation you can use today.
From there, you'll join a growing email community where I share ongoing insights, resources, and connection to others navigating this journey.
My mission is simple: to ensure no family faces birth trauma without the comprehensive, long-term support that makes recovery possible.
My Memoir: Vertigo
My forthcoming memoir, Vertigo, tells the deeper story behind this mission-our family's journey through birth trauma, recovery, and the lessons that continue to shape this work and the creation of my platform.
My Background:
Nursing Education & Lived Experience
I hold a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (RN BSN) and bring both nursing education and deeply personal experience to this work.
My approach integrates:
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Evidence-informed research: Grounded in nursing education and ongoing engagement with maternal health literature, while honoring the wisdom that comes from lived experience.
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Trauma-informed practices: Recognizing that healing isn't linear and every person's timeline is unique, with content designed to be accessible and non-triggering.
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Partner-inclusive perspectives: Acknowledging that birth trauma affects entire family systems, with dedicated resources for partners whose experiences are often overlooked
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Long-term support: Extending months and years beyond hospital discharge, when medical care ends but the real work of healing begins
This combination of professional expertise and lived experience allows me to create resources that honor both the science and the humanity of recovery.