Last week we heard about the Australian court case where a woman has won $275,000 because of the way she was treated in labour.
The charges are for assault and battery.
If this feels insane – it isn’t.
And it isn’t happening over there. It’s happening everywhere.
The case is a huge win for maternity service users because it forces everyone to look again at the horror movie that is going on. However, being in the UK, hearing that this happened on the other side of the world means in order to protect ourselves from considering the reality of it – many people will read it, and put it out of mind.
If we can do this with genocide, you can bet it’s happening with maternity.
But it shouldn’t.
Women and birthing people deserve better.
Families deserve trauma informed care. Respect. Autonomy. Not because it “would be nice” – because it is a basic human right.
This particular woman didn’t consent to vaginal exams. She was denied care. Denied pain relief. Pressured. Traumatised.
And its a story we hear all too often.
Trauma isn’t what happened to you. It is how your body responded to what happened.
Trauma lives and stays trapped in your nervous system. Your fascia. Your cells.
And this is why, when birth is traumatic it stays with you. It is carried into parenting. And coloured those weeks, months and even years of your babies life.
So what does Trauma Informed Care mean?
Trauma informed care nurtures you. It is care with compassion, understanding and kindness. It is about learning continuously the signs and symptoms of trauma and the ways they come up, so that families feel held, and respected as they their babies are born.
As a doula, this means working with the families we support alongside the health care professionals in a way that feels like teamwork rather than fractured.
Sometimes it works well. Other times, professionals don’t like the fact we are in the room. But ultimately, trauma informed care means whatever the personal reasons for liking or not liking the doula, support is kind, care is continuous and families are respected.
In practice…
This might look like giving time and space. It might look like offering all the information or staying quiet until questions are asked. It’s about the nuance of adjusting to the person/people in the room, rather than having a blanket approach.
It’s about understanding that trauma can mean that a labouring woman may be compliant out of fear. It means understanding that trauma often brings emotional and physical aspects. So care needs to be tailored.
Vaginal exams may be very triggering (as well as often unnecessary). Loud noises or curt instructions may re-trigger childhood trauma. Threats about baby’s wellbeing, not explaining whats going on… all these (and more) can lead to either direct or delayed trauma responses.
Your brain chemistry is altered by trauma, your amygdala sounds the alarm, shuts down your ‘upstairs brain’ and activates the survival modes.
Fight – Flight – Freeze – Fawn.
Your nervous system protects you.
But if everyone worked in a trauma informed way, not only would birth outcomes be better, but those working in Maternity would also feel so much better. Because trauma is also something that happens when you witness events that leave a mark, and vicarious trauma in maternity care is a significant contributor to burnout.
This is why this knowledge matters. Why basic nervous system regulation and co-regulation should be taught, not as teens or through courses in adulthood – but right from the start. It’s what I see those raising the next generation trying to do. So our children understand their intuition, they trust their bodies, and they know how to lean into the trauma informed toolbox when its necessary.
Trauma informed care within maternity services would re-shape society. Big claim yes, one I believe wholeheartedly.
Instead of being assaulted as women birth their babies, they should be held. Loved. Nurtured. Taken care of. When we do this, we see everyone involved having a much more positive experience, not just in the moment, but in the months and years later too.
What do you think? Have you experienced trauma informed maternity care? Or were you walking out with your beautiful baby wondering what the hell happened?
Get in touch, or comment, and let me know x
As always, thanks for reading x
Rohana