Birth Trauma Awareness Week - Kulbinder’s story

15 to 21 July is Birth Trauma Awareness Week, an annual event that aims to raise awareness about the impact of birth trauma on mothers, babies, and families. The theme for 2024 is ‘Informed Consent’.

The focus on informed consent highlights the importance of ensuring that birthing individuals fully know their choices, risks, and alternatives during childbirth. This theme is particularly relevant considering ongoing discussions and inquiries into birth trauma, such as the NSW Parliamentary Inquiry. The goal is to promote respectful and compassionate maternity care, where every birthing individual feels empowered and respected.

We’ve partnered with the Australasian Birth Trauma Association (ABTA) to help tell the story of our client, Kulbinder. Kulbinder hopes that by sharing her story, she can encourage others who have lost their voices to speak up.

Kulbinder’s story

“I went from being a woman who was fit and healthy and had many future life aspirations to a woman with complex medical conditions that impacts me both physically and mentally and whose life trajectory changed and has had to learn to live again.”

Kulbinder is career-driven, a mother of two beautiful little girls, Olivia and Rosie, and a partner to her husband, Jason. The family intended to have their children, then focus on their careers and building their futures as a family unit. Kulbinder worked hard in her career and aspired to continue growing professionally once her two little girls came into the world, with her husband supporting her.

Welcoming a new baby into a family is usually a positive and exciting time for new parents. After having no problems with the birth of their first daughter, Kulbinder and Jason were excited to welcome their second baby girl into their lives. Unfortunately, the birth of Kulbinder’s youngest daughter did not go as expected.

Despite raising concerns with their treating team at the time of her labour and delivery, Kulbinder’s experience was not what she expected or had been prepared for. Kulbinder now suffers with birth trauma injuries, and what her future holds is uncertain. Kulbinder has been unable to return to work as she’d planned; she requires frequent, ongoing medical appointments and her ongoing injuries and uncertainty for the future impact her and her family each and every day.

“I was not only left grieving my old life, and not because I was now a mother of 2, but I felt I was left alone to navigate through the impacts because of the birth trauma. I was losing hope at seeking justice until I contacted Anna Sullivan from Maurice Blackburn, who spent the time listening to my story and is leading my legal case”, says Kulbinder.

It is important that clients feel empowered to tell their stories and share their experiences with people they can trust. This will help them understand where they stand and whether something can be done. 

“I feel a great responsibility to ensure our client’s stories are told while ensuring the utmost sensitivity to their injuries and the day-to-day impacts.”

While not all birth-related traumas can be avoided, some steps can and should be taken by treating practitioners to ensure that birthing parents like Kulbinder are given reasonable and appropriate medical care on what should be one of the most important and happiest days of their lives.

"Compensation can’t turn back time and undo Kulbinder’s injuries and trauma. However, we will do all we can to seek compensation for Kulbinder to ensure she is properly compensated for the impact this has had on her and her family's lives. "

– Anna Sullivan

Birth trauma in Australia

Birth-related trauma can be physical or psychological and can be related to any time in connection with pregnancy, labour, and birth or the postnatal period. Some examples of birth-related traumas can include:

• Perineal tears
• Bladder or pelvic floor damage
• Incontinence
• Nerve pain or damage
• Postpartum haemorrhage
• Postpartum post-traumatic stress disorder, depression and/or anxiety
• Obsessive-compulsive disorder

Despite a large portion of Australians affected by birth-related trauma, estimated to be as many as 1 in 3 birthing parents, there is still a significant level of stigma and taboo about the issue.

The Australasian Birth Trauma Association is the first charity in Australia solely dedicated to supporting women, partners, and families after birth-related trauma. It advocates for a holistic and multidisciplinary approach to supporting expectant families navigating their birth journeys and works with health professionals to assist them in empowering and expanding their knowledge in maternity care.

The ABTA has a new resource to expand education on birth-related trauma, and they have recently launched an education platform called ThinkNatal.

Our team of specialist medical negligence lawyers are here to help you understand your legal options and to achieve the best possible outcome for you. We've successfully represented hundreds of patients and their families in complex, sensitive malpractice cases. Our lawyers can help you understand your eligibility and the processes involved when making a medical negligence claim. Contact a medical negligence lawyer today on 1800 305 568 or send us a message.