Tickets on sale for July 22 fundraiser in Camp Point to support mothers in trauma

CAMP POINT — Tickets are available for the first Birth Trauma Awareness dinner from 5-11 p.m. Saturday, July 22 at the Village Vineyard and Winery.

Proceeds from the dinner will be donated to the Blessing Foundation and benefit the Blessing Hospital Blessed Beginnings birth center to support birth trauma survivors.

According to the March of Dimes organization, birth trauma is any physical or emotional distress a woman may experience during or after childbirth. There are many factors — physical and emotional — that can contribute to birth trauma including:

• Birth complications, including a vaginal tear or too much bleeding;
• Emergency C-section or the use of forceps or other medical devices;
• Mother or baby suffers a birth injury.

According to the National Institutes of Health, up to 45 percent of new mothers experience birth trauma — and the effects can continue long after the birth itself.

As with other forms of trauma, the March of Dimes says unresolved birth trauma can result in low self-esteem, relationship issues, stress and anxiety, panic attacks and other behavioral issues including substance misuse.

Cost for the dinner is $50 per person or $400 for a table of eight and a bottle of wine. This price includes a buffet dinner, raffles, live music by Katie Taylor and Howie Hughes and birth trauma survivor stories. To order tickets, go to https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/a6d48cd4-0ca7-403b-8109-15d4e2d82086.

Organizer for the Birth Trauma Awareness dinner is Kala Breder of Quincy. She experienced birth trauma with the arrival of her third child in July 2020 by emergency cesarean section. The birth led to a series of medical complications, including the need for more than 30 units of blood and multiple surgeries, resulting in the need for extensive physical therapy and treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder.

Breder also facilitates the Kaleidoscope Women’s Support Group, which meets at 7 p.m. the second Wednesday and fourth Monday of each month at Luther Memorial Church, 1210 Jersey. The goal of the group is to help all women deal with life’s challenges.