#BirthTrauma Awareness Week

Birth Trauma Awareness Week runs from 7-13th September. Throughout the week tune in to insightful, thought provoking and deeply honouring stories and discussions with people who have experienced birth trauma, clinicians and researchers in this area and maternity advocates working to change the system.
Brought to you by Maternal Mental Health Matters Australia, a collaboration between four peak Australian nonprofit consumer advocacy groups:
​Safe Motherhood For All, Maternity Choices Australia, Maternity Consumer Network & PBB Media

Watch the special livestream event for Birth Trauma Awareness Week below. 

An important message

Pregnancy, Birth and Beyond Media, our development team and contributors pay our respects to indigenous elders past, present and emerging. The majority of our team reside on and work from the beautiful and profound land known as Cavanbah, the meeting place on Bundjalung Country now also known as Byron Bay and surrounding hills in Northern NSW, Australia.  We acknowledge the Traditional Owners of this land, the Arakwal people, and the many tribes that frequented the area including Minjungbal people and the Widjabul people of the Bundjalung Nation. I pay my respects to elders past and present and emerging. As a team and organisation, we acknowledge the traditional custodians of this land and waters whose cultures and customs have nurtured and continue to nurture these land for over 60,000 years and upon which we now work and live. We acknowledge that sovereignty was never ceded and recognition of culture, connection to land and waters and sovereignty of all aboriginal/indigenous peoples across Australia is a matter of current and vital importance

Birth Trauma Awareness Week Special LIVESTREAM Event - Panel Discussion with experts and health consumers

This special event is hosted by mother and maternity advocate Sally Cusack.

​Birth Trauma Awareness Week 2020 Panelists
  • Professor Hannah Dahlen, Associate Dean, Research and Hdr
  • Debbie Gould from Birth Talk
  • Bashi Hazard, Human Rights in Childbirth Lawyer
  • Melanie Briggs, Waminda Indigenous Midwives
  • Cleone Wellington, Waminda Indigenous Midwives
  • Dr Kirsten Small, BMedSc, MBBS, OB/GYN, specialist obstetrician gynaecologist
  • Dr Andrew Bissits, Director of Obstetrics, Royal Hospital for Women, Sydney
  • Dr Lauren Tober, BSc (Hons) DPsyc (Clinical) MAPS, Clinical Psychologist
  • Dr Erin Bowe, Clinical & Perinatal Psychologist and Coach

Panel Host: Sally Cusack

Sally Cusack is a mother of two children and founder of the Pregnancy Birth and Beyond Radio project in 2010 and a founding member of PBB Media.  She became a presenter on the show in 2014.  Sally has been a member of Maternity Choices Australia and consumer representative for women in her community since 2010. Since 2015 she has sat on the Northern NSW Local Health District's Consumer Engagement and Advisory Committee and maternity specific steering committees in the LHD.  She was part of the community campaign that oversaw the reopening of the birthing service at Murwillumbah Hospital and the establishment of ongoing consumer engagement for maternity services in the LHD and state-wise.  Sally sits as a consumer representative member of the committee responsible for designing the maternity and newborn services in the new Tweed Hospital and is looking forward to seeing the most state-of-the-art hospital build in Australia. You can check out Sally's catalogue of podcasts here.

birth trauma awareness week brought us discussions with health consumers, clinicians and experts with lived experience and clinical expertise. we are conscious of the complex nature of trauma and the delicate space in which these conversations are held. please proceed with care and if at any time you need support, reach out to safe friends and family and relevant professional services.