The Australasian Birth Trauma Association (ABTA) will appear before the NSW Parliamentary Inquiry into Birth Trauma today, calling for urgent action to address the high rates of birth-related trauma in Australia.
Approximately 1 in every three women who give birth will experience physical and/or psychological trauma, according to the ABTA. This translates to around 30,000 women in NSW each year and over 100,000 women nationwide.
“Traumatic birth experiences are treated like they are just to be expected, and women’s concerns are dismissed with the comment ‘at least you have a healthy baby’,” says Amy Dawes, co-founder and CEO of the ABTA.
“Trauma is not a normal side-effect of birth. It must be recognised as a women’s health priority with appropriate investment and action to understand, prevent and respond to these experiences.”
Dawes said that, for seven years, the ABTA has supported over 4,000 women and families who have been traumatised by their birth experiences.
“In that same time, we have seen almost no action from the government to acknowledge or reduce the rates of preventable birth trauma in the health system,” she said, noting “it’s time for that to change”.
In June 2023, the NSW Parliament launched the Inquiry into Birth Trauma to examine experiences of birth trauma in NSW and consider what legislative, policy or other reforms can be implemented to resolve the issue.
Representing the ABTA, Dawes will appear before the Inquiry Committee this morning to present evidence on the prevalence, impacts and causes of birth-related trauma. The evidence is drawn from global research and grounded in stories from the Australian community.
The physical and psychological impacts of birth-related trauma can have devastating and long lasting impacts on quality of life, including chronic pain, incontinence, physical dysfunction, impacts on relationships and caring for children as well as a lost ability to exercise or work.
ABTA research has revealed that 27 per cent reported experiencing physical injuries, 44 per cent reported having mental health challenges, with 28 per cent experiencing both.
Seventy-four per cent of women who’ve experienced physical trauma report being unable to be physically active as a result of their injuries.
And a staggering 79 per cent of birthing parents experience at least one symptom of postpartum post-traumatic stress disorder after giving birth.
Nearly one in three (30 per cent) reported experiencing symptoms of anxiety, nearly one in five (19 per cent) experienced vivid flashbacks or nightmares and over one in five (22 per cent) felt overwhelming feelings of sadness, anger, guilt or shame.
Twenty-one per cent reported avoiding feelings or memories of their birth entirely.
Three quarters of women indicate their birth injuries are affecting their decision to have another baby as well.
“Our health system is failing birthing women and families. Birth-related trauma is under-reported and under-valued in the system but over-represented in the community, with far-reaching ramifications. It is clear that with over 4,200 submissions across Australia to the NSW Birth Trauma Inquiry, the community wants action”, Dawes said.
“Many people in Australia do not even know birth-related trauma exists until they experience it themselves, and the true cost of this issue in Australia is unknown due to a lack of research. With suicide one of the leading causes of maternal mortality, we must do everything we can to acknowledge and address birth-related trauma.”