Pain, trauma and ‘moral injury’: the push to improve birthing care in NSW hospitals

A public hearing of the parliamentary inquiry into birth trauma in Wagga Wagga this week heard calls to overhaul pregnancy and maternal healthcare services

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When Samantha gave birth to her daughter in 2022, she was told by medical staff that being in excruciating pain" was normal.

They were discharged two days after the birth. It wasn't until a community midwife told her the severe bruising on her buttocks was not normal that Samantha, who asked that her full name not be used, presented to the hospital again. Examinations and an ultrasound revealed she had suffered a haematoma and a third-degree perineal tear that had been improperly repaired. For months afterwards she struggled with symptoms resulting from her injuries, forcing her to spend thousands of dollars with private specialists.

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