What are your experiences of childbirth in Australia? How could the experience have been improved?

I found the birth of my first baby very traumatic. A failed induction followed by a caesarean under general anaesthetic. At the time everyone told me how lucky I was that the baby was OK. I agree. I focused on that and felt I could not say how violated and broken I felt. I had post natal depression for two years. I coped. I went through the motions of being a mum. It was only when I took control of my next birth that my mood changed. After a lot of research and planning and discussions with midwives and doctors, I had a quick easy natural birth. It was the most wonderful experience of my life. I fell in love with my baby the moment we saw eachother. How different this felt compared to the empty void first time around. It helped me to fill in the gaps having missed it all with my first baby. I am a better mother now - I have confidence in myself and my whole family can feel the difference. I know that my first baby needed to be born by caesarean, but I do question all of the medical intervention that preceeded it. From what I have read it seems that the more we interfere with normal laour, the greater the chance of complications. Feeling in control of decisions made a big difference for me.

my first baby was born in a birth centre at a big sydney hospital. it was my husband who thought we should go there because they had lower rates of intervention. i was pretty naive about the whole thing, i thought women are made to give birth, it will come naturally to me. the pain and effort involved in labour came as a bit of a shock but the midwives were kind and encouraging. we did the early discharge programme and had home visits for a week after the birth. it was a very positive experience.

my second child was born in a small country hospital and delivered by my local doctor. i knew what i was in for and i was anxious to get it over. i chose to have the membranes ruptured, it was very fast. we went home after a couple of hours, we were only able to have one home visit.

both births were good experiences but i would have benefitted from more discussion about the pain involved and more follow up suport especially with my second child.

My obstetrician was happy to book me in for a caesarean so I was reassured that it was the safest way for my baby to be born. It all went to plan and I was up walking around the next day. I was even able to toast the birth after a few hours. I can't see how it could have been any better, and I am planning the same if I have another baby. I felt all along that my obstetrician was the best person to make the decisions, as he is an expert.

I've had 4 babies. The first experience involved lots of medical intervention and drugs (although luckily I didn't end up with a caesarian). I didn't bond with my baby for 3 months and I now feel cheated that I missed that wonderful first few weeks with him. I truely believe that alot of this lack of bonding was due to the feelings of sheer fear and bewilderment I had during labour and the feeling of being out of control - all brought about by the Drs/drugs. My subsequent births have been drug free and fantastic (although obviously very painful!) with no bonding problems at all and I feel blessed to have been able to experience this natural childbirth. Obviously caesarians are needed in certain circumstances but I believe natural childbirth to be the ideal and it is an ideal which can be achieved a lot more readily than it currently is. From what I have learned from friends world wide is that Drs too often quickly opt for the caesarian to save time and to make money (in private practices).

When I first found out I was pregnant I went along to my GP who didn't talk about any care options(and there are many), she just gave me a list of obstetricians to try and get an appointment with. Because I moved interstate everything changed and I ended up having a drug free natural birth at a Birth Centre in a public hospital. My baby and I were looked after by the same midwife before, during (for all of it) and after the birth. Looking back on it I was lucky it worked out that this way. I cant believe my GP didn't know about or give me the information about all birthing options available. How can parents make choices when GPs (who are usually the first port of call) fail in this way?

I took a long time to recover from my first caesarean, but I had a lot of help at home and it wasn't too bad. I couldn't breastfeed though and I did feel bad about that. I was told that it would be safest for my second baby to be born by caesarean too, as my uterus would rupture if I had contractions. I found it harder the second time because of looking after a toddler as well. I would like to find out about having a normal birth as I have read that this is possible. I don't really want another caesarean.

Many pregnant women in the hospital system opt for GP shared care where many of the antenatal check ups are done by the GP. Women tend to choose this for convenience especially if they have other young children. Having shared care will often mean that hospital appointments are done in the doctors clinic and these women have very little midwifery input in pregnancy. These women often miss out on a lot of important support and information about managing pregnancy, labour, breastfeeding and the postnatal period which is the expertise of midwives. In some countries midwives are attached to GP practices and women can see them throughout their pregnancy. This would seem to be a great idea. It would free up hospital and GP services for the higher risk women who need greater medical input, and ensure more women have access to midwifery services.

The birth of first child went well I felt. Phsyically I had a natural birth with the need for just some stitches and paracetamol for some tearing and that was it. I found that it wasn't the OB that was trying to take over, rather the night duty staff that encouraged me to have an epidural which I did not wish for and then the delay in offering and receiving pain relief whilst having contractions.

Though, being an RN myself, I understood the reasons why the night duty staff wanted me to take an epidural due to the time lag between agreeing to one and then having one put in, I really felt that the staff weren't understanding me when I was saying that I really didn't want one as I have seen the complications that are associated with epidurals. When I had asked for the gas to help with the pain of the contractions, I was told that it would be ineffective for how advanced my labour was and that I would have to keep sucking back on the gas quite hard to get releif and that it would reach a point whereby the gas would be ineffecitve. I later found out (when my OB had arrived) that I had the narcotic, pethadine, had been prescribed and by the time I found that out it was "too late" for me to have had it.

Though I am happy with my OB, I wasn't happy with being "bullied" into having an epidural, though I understand why the staff wanted me to agree with having one.

I felt that I was in control of my birth of daughter and also felt that my husband was supportive of my decisions. I was calm during my labour and was suprised at my strength and high threshold of the labour pains. Giving birth still scares me even though I have now been though it. I can't imagine out of control it would feel for some who don't have the medical knowledge or experience that some health professionals have when it happens to them. I felt that I had the control thanks to my training and expereinces as an RN, though I found it scary trusting others as it is usually me that takes care of others, not the other way round.

I felt really unprepared for the pain of labour even though I went to classes at the hospital and read a lot of books. I wanted a natural birth and I really relied on the midwives to tell me what to do. The birthing classes at the hospital were done by a physio and I think there should have been more information on managing the pain and not just on what drugs are available. I think having midwives run the classes must be a better idea as they work with women giving birth.

THIS COMMENT FROM SMILES HAS BEEN MOVED TO THIS SECTION BY THE MODERATOR WITH HER PERMISSION

My first child was born in a birthing centre and was a fantastic experience. I had a private obstetrician but elected to give birth in the birthing centre. The midwives were wonderful and assisted in the delivery of my daughter. Afterwards they confided in me that they purposely did not contact my obstetrician until well into my labour to ensure that he wouldn't attend the delivery as "he would only interfere". For my second birth I elected to give birth in a private hospital. Unfortunately I didn't feel comfortable with my midwife and she smelled of cigarette smoke. Despite my desire to have a natural birth she was unhelpful, did not get mats down when I requested them and kept encouraging me to lie on the bed. I felt really alone and angry but in so much pain that I didn't have the strength to insist on my needs. She had me pushing though the baby was posterior and I had a cervical lip. When my obstetrician arrived he took control of the situation and I felt I was in capable hands. He attempted forceps but was unsuccessful and so I was taken for an emergency cesarean. I could feel intense pain during the procedure and so I was put under general anesthetic. When I woke I was instructed that the hospital lift was broken and my baby could not be carried down the stairs, so I would have to wait until it was repaired. One hour later I met my little boy but I can barely remember the moment. For my third child I looked into giving birth at the birthing centre but the centre only took one vaginal birth after delivery (VBAC) each month and so I returned to the private hospital. During my antenatal visits my obstetrician was reluctant to talk in detail about the possibility of a VBAC and so I read a few books and did a lot of research on the internet so that I felt knowledgeable about the topic. As the due date drew closer my obstetrician was trying to encourage an elective cesarean, but I dug my heels in and resisted. In the end he sent me for a pelvimetry exam (even though my personal reading indicated that this is not necessarily an accurate test of birthing ability). Luckily the pelvimetry indicated that the baby should be able to fit through my pelvis. The next obstacle was that the baby was overdue and I did not want to be induced. When I was four days overdue my obstetrician insisted that I be induced for fear of the baby becoming too big. Luckily I went into labour before the induction was due and I had a quick but intense labour. The midwife was so wonderful and treated me with respect and really listened to my needs. When I started to remember my previous birth and lose confidence in my self she helped me regain my strength. I felt ecstatic after the birth and so empowered that I had not had an unnecessary cesarean. I believe women need to be provided with more information on the different birthing options available, I was instructed by my family doctor to find an obstetrician, as I believe she assumed this is what I would have wanted. I was unaware of any other birthing options. I would love to see a more personal based model, that celebrates pregnancy. I feel women should be given more information on nutrition and emotional well being. Women also need to be given more opportunities to discuss feelings,fears and ask questions in a non-judgemental environment, both during the pregnancy and after the birth. It would be great if women could be provided with the latest information based on research so we can make informed decisions with our practitioner instead of having them made for us.

I wanted to have a homebirth but my gp said it was not safe. I read a lot and I knew it was safe but I really didn't know if I wanted to fight to have a homebirth. I went to the birth centre and it was really good. It was a normal birth with no drugs, just gas at the end but it didn't reallt help. I found the shower really good. I went to the ward after because they needed the bed in the birthcentre, but I couldn't sleep I wished I came straight home. The midwives visited me at home for 3 days. I needed some help to latch him on and I really looked foreward to the visits. I will go to the birthcentre again next time. I still love the idea of a homebirth though.

I went to the birthing suite and I felt well cared for. The labour was good and I got to rest for a while after the epidural, before having to push. The pushing was really hard and I needed stitches afterwards. The worst part was how painful the stitches were and it took a long time to feel better. I think there should be more care and help after the birth especially with the pain.

One of my ultrasound due dates put me at 3 weeks over my own calculation. I was quite panicked throughout my pregnancy, not only was it my first but I was scared about the baby being born almost a month late. I know it sounds silly and I would tell myself that the baby will come when he was ready, but the hospital wouldn't listen to my concerns. They treated me like an idiot. I ended up changing hospitals because of how they made me feel. I was just another mum-to-be. Not important at all.

My first baby was born via emergency cesarean due to foetal distress. Whilst pregnant my only thought when thinking of the birth was that I didnt want a cesarean. I was fortunate to only need a spinal block and was therefore conscious during the surgery. However given the nature of emergency cesareans, I felt powerless, and everything seemed to happen so fast.I had difficulty breast feeding and felt somewhat a failure due to this and the fact that I had been unable to deliver naturally, and I didnt really feel connected to my baby until we were home.Although it was not the birth I had hoped for, the staff were incredibly supportive, if somewhat aggressive in the way they dealt with my breastfeeding problems and most importantly, we had a healthy baby. I thought that with the next pregnancy I would be fine with the idea of another cesarean, however my second birth was completely natural, no pain relief etc, and I experienced that incredible instantaneous bond with my second daughter that i didnt have first time around and was able to return home within 36hours, with follow up home visits. It felt like how I'd always imagined motherhood and the childbirth experience should be. I know I am lucky to have had two healthy beautiful children regardless of how they were delivered, but if given the choice I would opt for natural birth.

I had a fantistic labour with my 2nd pregnancey but when my little boy was born there were a few things wrong with him and some of those things should of been picked up in ultra sounds I had but they wernt and I got no answers as to why they wernt every time I asked they just shrugged it off.

I was very disstressed as I did not no what had happened to my little boy and the doctors did not care at all they just acted as if it was another day at the office and did not consedor that I was completly beside my self not knowing what was happening and not getting and answers (my boy is 21montyhs old now and we STILL have no answers).

I think doctors seem to forget that they may see these type of things happen offen but us as new pearents dont and this is our own flesh and blood that we may go through hell and back just to give birth to

Throughout my pregnancy I was determinded to have a natural birth. however whenever i mentioned this to other mums I would get knowing looks and comments of 'yeah right'. After reading the book BETTER BIRTH by Lareen Newman and Heather Hancock I felt more positve about naturel birthing. So with my husbands support I gave birth to my daughter with the help of two midwives without intervention or drugs. It was amazing. I felt so empowered for weeks afterward and the love I felt for my daugher straight away was imense. At first I had a lot of trouble breastfeeding but with the help of midwives and persaverence I'm now feeding easily. I had no trouble at all with the public system.

I gave birth to my son at the age of 18 in a public Melbourne Hospital. I found this a very traumatic experience as I felt that the Midwives treated me with little respect during the labour and learning to breast-feeding. I felt that this was because of my young age. They were not very supportive when I was not coping with the pain and I didnt feel that I was on control of my labour. My son was kept at the Special Care Nursery for 5 DAYS because of a suspected non-contagious infection and was not allowed to stay with me in the maternity ward. I didnt really feel like I bonded with my baby until I arrived home. Next time around I plan on having a Doula for extra support and Pain Management. Just because I was young, it didnt make me less of a mother.

I found the birth of my first child truly amazing. My water broke at home the day before the due date at around 9pm... My husband and I went to the hospital and were looked after by wonderful wonderful midwives. I didn't start feeling any pain until around midnight. The hospital and it's staff were wonderful and really let us experience everything with little disturbance. At 8:50am baby Jack was born and I am proud to say that with the support of the WONDERFUL and underpaid midwives, my husband and our wonderful Dr Jack was born naturally.. And by naturally I mean nothing, not even gas, just my husband feeding my chips of ice between contractions... Thanks Mercy Hospital... and thanks to all the midwives that go without hearing enough thanks :)

My first baby was four days overdue when I had a show, that night my husband and I went to the hospital to see how we were getting on - incredibly (as I wasn't in pain) I was having three contractions every ten minutes, and I spent the night in the labour ward. The next morning I was beginning to feel pain and my doctor ruptured my membranes. I had always kept my options open pain relief wise, my only birth stipulations were no episiotomy and no caesar unless absolutely necessary. In the first labour I used gas (one suck and hated it), pethadine (didn't work), before finally having an epidural and spinal block. Baby started to distress and was delivered by ventouse extraction. Baby no. two was induced 9 days early as I had both gestational diabetes and choleastasis. Birth was fast and furious, with no time for pain relief, and incredibly empowering. Baby no. three was induced four days after the due date at my request, as I felt that baby was getting a bit on the large side. Again, birth was fast, but this time I didn't feel empowered. During the labour I felt somewhat defeated and weak. The birth was complicated by two medical emergancies - shoulder dystocia and the baby was not breathing upon delivery.I had pethadine, and again it didn't work, baby was delivered by ventouse extraction. I had expected to have a better birth experience at the third birth and I felt at the time that I didn't try hard enough. I believe that I felt this way in response to my body having to deliver a pretty big baby - 10 lb 10 oz (2lb bigger than my first baby and 3 1/2 lb bigger than my second). Overall, I am happy with my births and the care I was given. All three births were with the same doctor (love him!) and at a private hospital. I was always the one to initiate pain relief and any intervention during labour was discussed, and my permission was sought, before being implemented.