How Art Can Heal Birth Trauma
I’ll never forget the suspended emotions of not being able to hold my newborn as he received treatment for jaundice. My little boy was right next to me, under the glow of the bili lights (blue bilirubin lights), but still out of my reach. It was such a disorienting feeling. I kept telling myself how lucky I was that he was in the room with me, but those few feet between us felt like miles.
Those days felt like they were filled with so much darkness, so much anxiety, so much trauma. Our hospital room was filled with blue light that crowded out the joy of my brand new baby boy.
Painting the Light in the Darkness
Months later, I turned to painting as a way to process this experience. I found myself drawn to the image of my son lying under those lights. I took care sketching and mixing the colors I would use and then I lost myself in the process of painting.
Something powerful shifted while I worked. What had once felt like a symbol of separation and fear now became a moment I could hold, honor, and transform. Painting the light from this moment of darkness helped me reclaim it.
I could finally see that even in the hardest days under those blue lights, the color was alongside the darkness.
Art Therapy Can Help Heal Birth Trauma
Traumatic memories are often held in the body, stored in sensations and images more than in words. That’s why talking alone doesn’t always feel like enough. Art therapy gives those memories another pathway to be expressed.
Through art, we can:
Externalize the memory: Putting an image on paper or canvas can make it feel less overwhelming to hold.
Create distance: Seeing the experience outside of yourself allows you to reflect with more gentleness or consider other perspectives.
Find new meaning: Colors, textures, and shapes can reveal resilience and light that were hidden in the pain. We can create a richer, more coherent narrative around our traumatic experiences.
For me, painting allowed me to process not just the fear of those days, but also the love I felt for my son, the tenderness of his tiny body, and the strength it took to walk through that time.
An Invitation
If your birth or postpartum story feels too heavy to carry in words, know that there are other ways to give it a voice. Maybe that’s through painting, collage, journaling alongside drawing, or even something as simple as choosing colors that reflect your feelings.
Art doesn’t erase the trauma, but it can help us reshape how it lives inside us. It can bring light into the darkest memories and remind us of the resilience we carry.
You don’t have to process your story alone. Whether through therapy, creative expression, or supportive community, your voice deserves to be heard.
