Demi's experiences shaping the future for birthing women on International Women's Day

After having two supportive but different birthing experiences at Fiona Stanley Hospital (FSH), one involving delivering her first baby Freya stillborn, Demi joined the FSH Maternity Advisory Group to ensure other birthing women have the empowering experiences she did.

“I went into labour last April at 40 weeks after a low-risk pregnancy with Freya, only to find there was no heartbeat, which was devastating,” Demi said.

“Despite this, I had an incredible birth and postnatal experience and was supported with compassion by the midwives and medical professionals.”

Falling pregnant again soon after the loss of Freya, Demi was supported by the FSH multidisciplinary team to see a psychologist, as well as the same obstetrician and midwife through an ‘all-risk’ continuity model of care at FSH.

“Having this continuity of care in my second pregnancy was wonderful as I was able to build trust with clinicians who knew my history. I felt empowered and supported, and Yazmin was born via a planned c-section this February with Freya’s memory box right beside me,” Demi said.

Following Freya’s birth, Demi joined the FSH Maternity Advisory Group to use her lived experience to guide FSH maternity services to optimise respectful maternity care, and to help empower other birthing women, especially first-time mums, to advocate for themselves.

“It makes sense to me that as we approach International Women’s Day (IWD) (external link), we consider birthing women. The theme is Accelerate Action, and I’d like to see us continue to accelerate action that ensures women feel empowered in their pregnancy and birth and have improved experiences and outcomes,” Demi said.

The FSH Maternity Advisory Group formed in May 2019 and has partnered with consumers with lived birthing experience like Demi to improve the birthing outcomes for future women attending FSH maternity services.

Leanne Graham, Acting Coordinator of Nursing and Midwifery coordinates the group which meet regularly to discuss and implement initiatives to optimise respectful care and support maternity service users' perinatal psycho-emotional wellbeing.

“Partnering with our maternity consumers is important to delivering better health outcomes and ensuring mothers are supported to have a positive pregnancy and birthing experience,” Leanne said.

“We are certainly embracing Accelerating Action this IWD here at FSH maternity services, with the advisory group helping to guide us on implementing evidence-based initiatives and innovations to improve the consumer’s experience.”

International Women’s Day (IWD) (external link) on March 8 encourages all women and girls to Accelerate Action for a gender equal world that is diverse, equitable and inclusive.

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