NEW mum Emily Roffe-Silvester experienced first hand the turmoil of birth trauma, feeling she had lost control of her body and the ongoing emotional toll that followed.
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Emily, with fellow mum Sandy Tai from Ballarat Birth Support, are trying to raise awareness of birth trauma in a bid to reduce the number of women who experience it.
They also hope to improve support for sufferers of birth trauma.
The pair held a coffee morning this week and will host a healing circle next month to share stories with those who have suffered similar experiences.
For Emily, who wanted a natural and non-intervention birth, she felt a loss of autonomy over her body from the moment she arrived in hospital in labour.
“My body was touched and prodded without warning and towards the end of the birth, my body was cut without my consent,” Emily said. “My mental and emotional pain was intolerable ... That is when I finally reached out for help and was diagnosed with (post-traumatic stress disorder).
“I now know what happened to me in that room is called obstetric violence. I’m still living with the aftermath of what happened to me at the birth, but with the amazing support of healthcare professionals, friends, family and my husband, I’m able to go forward with my life.”
Ballarat Birth Support is raising funds to buy the book How to Heal a Bad Birth: making sense, making peace and moving on for Ballarat libraries. The Ballarat Library purchased two books and the support group aims for another six copies for other libraries and centres.
It is an initiative with strong endorsement from City of Ballarat councillor and new mum Amy Johnson, who said it was vital to support parents and their mental health in caring for infants.
“Becoming a parent for the first time is an incredibly emotional experience. Unfortunately, it is not uncommon for women to experience birth trauma,” Cr Johnson said. “The trauma, coupled with this life changing event can be extremely overwhelming ... Any resource that supports new parents’ mental health is an initiative I support.”
One in three women describe their birth as traumatic and trauma can also affect male parents, according to Australian Birth Trauma and PTSD Treatment Centre. More: ballaratbirthsupport.com and Roses Revolution Australia on Facebook.
