For roughly 50 Māmā every day, birth leaves emotional scars that last long after the baby arrives, and for 120, physical injuries that can upend life as they know it. Yet too often these stories remain untold. As Birth Trauma Awareness Week kicks off under the banner “This Is Birth”, experts and survivors alike are urging Aotearoa to listen, validate, and act.

“Birth trauma is real – even when it’s invisible,” says Kate Hicks, founder of Birth Trauma Aotearoa. “Our goal is to shift the shame and stigma so Māmā know they’re not alone.”

Defining Birth Trauma

While there’s no universally accepted definition, Birth Trauma Aotearoa describes birth trauma as:

“Any physical or psychological injury to come from pregnancy, labour and birth, and early post-partum” – Birth Trauma Aotearoa

That encompasses everything from severe perineal tears and prolapse to the fear, confusion or isolation experienced during an emergency C-section or when baby goes to NICU.

One in Three Māmā Say “I Was Traumatised”

A 2021 feature in The Spinoff found that 1 in 3 women would label their birth “emotionally traumatic” if asked – mirroring global estimates that up to 30% of mothers feel trapped in traumatic memories long after discharge – Spinoff.

“I felt like a passenger in my own body,” recalls one Wellington mother. “I wasn’t even sure what was happening – no one explained a thing.”

Physically, over 80% of wāhine sustain at least a perineal tear, yet only the most severe (13 listed injuries) are now covered by ACC under the Maternal Birth Injury scheme introduced in October 2022 – Beehive.govt.nz.

From Systemic Gaps to Personal Stories

A New Zealand Herald investigation in August 2024 spotlighted a Tauranga mother whose fourth-degree tear left her incontinent and in chronic pain – yet she waited three years for proper treatment – NZ Herald.

“I now grieve a life we never got to have,” she told the Herald, speaking of the isolation and flashbacks that jolted her new motherhood.

Other common triggers for psychological birth trauma include lack of consent for procedures, unmanaged pain, and births that veer sharply from the plan – each felt deeply “in the eye of the beholder.” As Birth Trauma Aotearoa puts it, only the birthing parent can decide whether their experience was traumatic.

Validation, Care, and Next Steps

Māmā and their whānau deserve clear pathways to support:

• ACC Claims: Lodge early for any of the 13 listed injuries (even “minor” tears), and ask specifically for home help, pelvic physiotherapy, rongoā Māori or counselling. Your GP, midwife or pelvic health physio can help – Beehive.govt.nz.
• Information and Support:
  • Connect with My Birth Story for personal stories, strategies to process your experience, and a directory of support services for Māmā and partners.
  • Birth Trauma Support Facebook Group

“Your response to your traumatic birth is your nervous system protecting you,” stresses Birth Trauma Aotearoa. “It’s not your fault, and you deserve care.”

‘50 for 50’: A Campaign of Solidarity

To honour the 50 Māmā hurt by emotional trauma each day, Birth Trauma Aotearoa invites everyone to choose 50 acts over Awareness Week – bake 50 biccies, plant 50 seeds, offer 50 hugs or cycle 50 km. Share your action with #bta50for50 to send the message to the birth trauma community:

“We believe you, and you are not alone.”

Through sharing stories and joining together in this campaign, we can move towards a future where every Māmā feels safe, supported, and respected… because this, in all its raw power and vulnerability, truly is birth.

Ngā mihi nui to every Māmā, partner, health provider, and advocate driving change this Birth Trauma Awareness Week. Kia kaha: your voice matters, your story counts, and together, we can shape a system that truly honours every birth.