The problem is not confined to one hospital;1 in 10 women in Australiasay they were made to feel abused,powerless or dehumanised by a healthcare provider in the last five years.
Animal Justice MLC Emma Hurst will chair the upper house select committee into preventing birth trauma in NSW,which will hear from mothers,academics,and healthcare providers before reporting on its findings in February next year.
Hurst said the inquiry was the first of its kind in Australia and would focus on investigating and preventing cases where maternity care providers had compounded or contributed to trauma.
“What we’re talking about is avoidable trauma,” she said. “We’re talking about physical and psychological consequences,but also where women are feeling confused and disempowered.”
Eddy Mead wanted to give birth to her son Taylor naturally,using as few interventions as possible. Instead,her obstetrician at the Mater Hospital in North Sydney decided she needed to be induced and,when that failed to bring on labour,she was forced to undergo an emergency caesarean late at night.
She signed a consent form but said she did not give proper consent because nobody told her why the procedure was necessary,its risks or its benefits. She ultimately filed a complaint with the HCCC and received an apology from the Mater Hospital 18 months later.