• Welcome to the Australasian Birth Trauma Association

Welcome to the Australasian Birth Trauma Association

Find out more about our Peer 2 Peer Mentor Program or use the links below to guide you through to the information you are seeking.

Peer 2 Peer Mentor Program

Where to start

We have created some quick links that may help you find what you are looking for, whether thats understanding and accessing our Peer 2 Peer Mentor Support Program, joining or facebook community or simply understanding more about Birth Trauma.

What Is Birth Trauma

The delivery of a baby can be a positive experience for some women, but for others it can be very negative, resulting in physical and/or psychological injuries (trauma).

Getting Support

At ABTA we recognise that you have sought us out because something isn’t right. You may be experiencing symptoms of Birth Trauma, we want you to know you are not alone.

Common Physical Trauma

Physical trauma may or may not be identified immediately. Indeed, you may be the first to notice something isn’t right. Find out more about types of physical trauma here.

Medicolegal Issues

Birth management is complex and the risks associated with child birth are now being divulged to women prior to birth ensuring you make the right choices for your situation.

Recommended Reading

Amy and Jennifer have put together a few books that may be of interest, highlighting the complexities of prolapse, pelvic floor essentials and the bare truth of Motherhood.

Helplines and Referral

There are a range of agencies who provide free telephone support, information resources and services to assist you to access further information, support and care.

Birth Stories

Read the personal stories by women and men affected by birth trauma. These have been shared in the hope that it makes others in a similar situation feel that they are not alone.

Partners And Fathers

Partners and loved ones play a vital supporting role in the lives of women by postnatal psychological and physical distress. Find out more.

Email Support

Reaching out to another person who has been through what you have experienced has proven to be an excellent way to assist with understanding your own personal experience.
Birth Trauma
How we define birth trauma
Firstly, birth trauma can be the result of physically damaging birth processes which then result in life-changing psychological and social difficulties. Secondly, birth trauma can be a result of psychological problems arising from the circumstances of the delivery (e.g. “wrong” location; pre-term; support people not present) or the process (e.g. labour too quick, prolonged, inadequate pain relief; feeling of loss of control; emergency caesarean section; concerns about survival of baby or self). And finally, an ‘uneventful’ or satisfactory delivery from a health professionals point of view (mother and baby well; no physical complications), may be traumatising for the woman as she feels unsupported or even misunderstood by the health professionals.
Find out more
ABTA
What we offer
ABTA has been established to offer emotional and practical support to women and their partners who have been traumatised by a difficult birth experience. We also offer guidance for the broad array of health professionals involved in the care of these women and their families.
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Sign up to our newsletters and emails

If you would like to stay connected then simply fill out the forms below to subscribe.

Join our Facebook support group

This group is aimed at supporting women who have suffered difficult births and we aim to offer advice and support to those who are affected by their childbirth experience. We aren't trained clinicians or counsellors, we are mothers who wish to help others and our members include women experiencing PTSD, birth trauma and pelvic organ prolapse, industry representatives, and healthcare professionals.

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