NSW Birth Trauma Report – next steps and policy responses

The Parliamentary Friends of Maternal Health event this week focussed on the NSW Birth Trauma Report – next steps and policy responses.

MHM thanks Ged Kearney MP Anne Webster MP , Dr Hazel Keedle, Ms Louise Thornton and Ms Samantha O’Donovan for speaking about the importance of being with women throughout their pregnancies and births.

The event was hosted by co-chairs Alicia Payne MP, Llew O’Brien MP, and Helen Haines MP, who we thank for the commitment to improving maternity care in Australia.

While Australia has a low maternal death rate and is therefore considered to be a safe place to have a baby; the NSW Report into Birth Trauma, does not paint a picture of safety.  The reality is that women are suffering avoidable harm as a consequence of unsafe, disrespectful maternity care.  The consequences are long term ill- health of women and their infants; lack of financial security, due to the ongoing costs of healthcare; plus an inability to work to full capacity; and a higher incidence of family breakup.

Samantha, a consumer from Better Birth’s Illawarra, provided insight into how models of care impact on a person’s experience.

“My second pregnancy was much more physically and emotionally challenging than my first but I felt extremely supported throughout. I was heard, respected and trusted. Seeing the same midwife, at every appointment, put me at ease and allowed me to open up about my fears. My midwife was able to provide extra care and support, targeted to me and my needs – the individual.

 Every single woman deserves to access midwifery continuity of care through their pregnancy, labour and postnatally. Women create lives and deserve respect, support, and education. They deserve to be listened to. They deserve to be treated as an individual for their specific needs – not based on generalised rules that are meant to be ‘one size fits all’.”

Louise Thornton of Shine Births, spoke of 3 perspectives, that of a daughter/woman/mother, that of a Registered Midwife and lastly, that of a Matrescence Coach.

Louise spoke to her Mum’s qualities of love and determination which she took into her births, empowering her to be confident in her childbearing capacity and to make choices to rule out the ‘potluck’ of the care by seeking out care continuity with a midwife.

“I held a true sense of my body being perfectly able to birth our baby that I grew in my womb.”

Homebirth is important to Louise.

“Many women who I have supported to birth at home, choose homebirth for the sole reason being they have experienced birth trauma in the system, and they want (sometimes NEED) a different experience. They have described their homebirth as “very healing” after such trauma.  As I evolved as a Midwife, I became more sensitive to the effects of working within the maternity system, and wiser from experience”

In her work as a Matrescence Coach, Louise as heard first hand the impact birth trauma has on women’s emotional health, relationships, connection with their baby, relationship with breastfeeding, and their sense of self and identity, to name a few.

“With Government support, there is a huge opportunity to change the status quo and make real change in this, maternal mental health and perinatal wellbeing, space” by providing all women and their families a ‘free ticket’ to a birth debrief and for this debrief to be WITH a trauma-informed, culturally sensitive facilitator with experience in perinatal emotional health and well-being and who is independent from the service who provided the care, if requested by the woman/partner/family.”

Dr Hazel Keedle spoke to 4 recommendations in the report and asked all present “to recognise and use the term obstetric violence so as to promote healing and action”.  Hazel’s presentation is best summarised by her slides.

 

Thank you to everyone who contributed to a successful event.