The trauma of a pregnant mother losing a baby is greater for women living in the North and North-West, preliminary results of a study by the University of Tasmania's School of Medicine shows.
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This has led a senior lecturer of the school to recommend that the state government consider the development of a dedicated statewide maternity health bereavement team and services statewide and develop a dedicated maternity mental health support services.
Research for the Giving Voice to Women project started late last year with the purpose of documenting women's experiences of receiving and accessing maternity health care in Tasmania.
Survey and interview information was first collected from women in the North-West and then from other areas of the state.
Senior lecturer Jennifer Ayton in a submission to a Tasmanian parliamentary committee's inquiry on maternity and reproduction health services said the project's current sample showed one in three women experienced a traumatic event during birthing, such as an unwanted clinical intervention, being spoken to in a dismissive manner or feeling ignored.
"For example, women cited feeling pressured, 'coerced' into an induction of labour early in their pregnancy and the 'unnecessary cascade' of interventions including emergency caesarean sections and breastfeeding failure that followed," she said.
Dr Ayton said women overall described poor coordination and communication between the obstetric and at times midwifery care providers and themselves.
"Women referred to limited and inconsistent models of continuity of care," she said.
"Partners, wives, and husbands were ignored and often told to leave the hospital.
"Mental health support and care was absent."
Dr Ayton said experiences with pregnancy and birthing was worse in rural and remote areas.
She said an estimated 38 per cent of the women involved in the study to date reported having a miscarriage or stillbirth.
"The trauma of 'loosing a baby' was exacerbated for women living in the North and North-West of the state," Dr Ayton said.
She said the government should develop a dedicated maternity health bereavement team and services statewide and dedicated maternity mental health support services.
Premier Jeremy Rockliff on Sunday said the government was always open-minded when it came to ideas to deliver new services in a compassionate way.
Political reporter for Australian Community Media, based in Hobart.
Political reporter for Australian Community Media, based in Hobart.
