Many women come out the other side of our current system of maternity care shocked, scarred, confused and angry, said retired midwife Wendy Jackson.
“They are unprepared for the differences between the anticipation of birthing and mothering, and the intensity of the reality,” she said.
In her recently published book about maternity the Mount Richon resident said she hoped to reframe the narrative around birth and early mothering to place the mother at the forefront of the discussion.
Mrs Jackson said she worked as a midwife for 30 years but became too unwell to continue in a clinical capacity.
She asked herself what she was going to do with all her passion and knowledge.
“Midwife means with woman, and I still wanted to be with them, just in a different way.”
Mrs Jackson said she was joined by seven women who helped her throughout the five years it took to write the book.
“The stories of Liesja, Samantha, Ashleigh, Ally, Kate, Alysia and Clementine begin every chapter,” she said.
“Their experiences range from many pregnancy losses, fertility struggles, pre-term birth, homebirth, traumatic birth, stillbirth, postpartum haemorrhage, PTSD, suicidal ideation and depression.
“To write their letters to the reader has been huge leap in faith and vulnerability and a challenge for them.
“Yet their wish for mothers to be acknowledged, seen, heard and supported in their choices with respectful maternity care is one they want to see become a reality.”
Mrs Jackson said her book Mother Becoming was going to be used as part of the training of student midwives at Edith Cowan University (ECU).
ECU nursing and midwifery professor Sara Bayes said academics found the book was invaluable to student midwives.
“(Academics) particularly like the philosophical and evidence-based nature of the book and the one stop shop convenience of the online resource,” she said.
Mrs Jackson said the maternity care system in Australia was broken.
“A fragmented maternity care system is one where women see many different care providers during pregnancy, birth and postpartum, without consistent relationships or clear communication between them,” she said.
“This results in poor communication, lack of continuity, repeated assessments and conflicting advice, leading to a diminished sense of trust and safety in the woman and mother.”
“Our system of birthing and lack of postpartum care is failing women and this needs to change.”
Mrs Jackson said she could go on and on about changes needed to bring women at the forefront of maternity discussions and listed a few.
“Chief midwifery officer for the state of WA – for every state,” she said.
“Transparency in providers of maternity care.
“Continuity of midwifery care.”
She said the next wave of feminism should be matricentric, so it was both woman and mother focused.
“Feminism very much left the birthing room and mothering behind,” she said.
