A Senate inquiry will examine postnatal care in Australia as experts warn depression, anxiety and PTSD are going undiagnosed in new mothers struggling to find support.
The push comes during Women’s Health Week, with advocates calling for an overhaul of healthcare for mothers after birth.
WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Push to overhaul postnatal care for Australian mothers
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Amy Dawes went into childbirth fit, healthy and prepared, but a forceps delivery left her with life-changing injuries.
“I’d never heard of this pelvic floor muscle damage, which had for me resulted in pelvic organ prolapse,” she said.
“I went to a really dark place mentally because my quality of life felt completely compromised.”
It took 16 months for the extent of the damage to be diagnosed.
Amy Dawes. Credit: 7NEWS
Her experience is alarmingly common. One in three Australian women describes their birth as traumatic, with around 6 per cent developing post-traumatic stress disorder.
“We don’t usually associate PTSD with birth, and so often women are misdiagnosed,” Dawes said.
Psychological conditions can also affect women even after a straightforward birth, with many going on to have ongoing physical or mental health challenges throughout early parenthood as they adapt to life with an infant.
One in three Australian women describe their birth as traumatic. Credit: 7NEWS
Depression and anxiety are often overlooked, while postnatal psychosis, which causes hallucinations, can develop in severe cases.
Advocates say mothers need care well beyond the routine six-week check-up.
“It’s not all about baby, it’s about them as well and their mental health care,” Women’s Mental Health Australia Katrina Locandro said.
“Because we know that a lot of the time mothers are dealing with trying to do so many things, and they’re always putting themselves last.”
The Senate inquiry will examine where women are falling through the cracks and what changes are needed.
“We know that a lot of women are suffering, that they don’t have the support that they deserve, and that there is a lot more that we have to do to support women once they’ve given birth to a baby,” Assistant Minister Rebecca White said.
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