19/01/2026
I know birth trauma is different to discuss, it brings back the raw pain that time and strength tries to heal.
But please consider contributing to raise awareness.
As part of the Respectful Maternity Care Conference, we are proud to launch the Maternity Consumer Network's Living Archive of Birth Trauma. We invite women across Australia to share their stories and experiences of birth trauma, with selected testimonies to be featured at the conference and then made publicly accessible. This archive will serve as a tool to raise ongoing awareness of birth trauma as a critical public health issue, while supporting our campaigns for respectful maternity care. It will also educate clinicians, researchers, leaders, and policymakers on the urgent need to ensure every woman receives high-quality, respectful maternity care.
We are now calling for submissions in diverse formats: written accounts, videos sharing your story (with options to show your full face or only part of it, such as your mouth while speaking), diary entries, artwork, music, or any creative expression that captures your experience of birth trauma and/or disrespectful care within the Australian maternity system. Your submission will help us raise awareness and work to prevent birth trauma for future generations.
Head to our website to contribute to the Living Archive of Birth Trauma
https://www.maternityconsumernetwork.org.au/livingarchive
