About two years ago I had a baby in hospital. Initially I was promised a beautiful peaceful water birth, but ended up having a traumatic forceps birth as a result of outdated hospital policies. The staff advised me that I was unable to have the water birth as my baby was several hours short of 37 weeks gestation and I had to have antibiotics because there was a risk of infection, even though I tested negative for GBS. I was not advised that they needed my consent, which I would have refused had I have been told that.

As the labour progressed I was repeatedly asked to be monitored even though I said I was feeling the baby kicking. I was disregarded and asked to lie down on my back, which caused further setbacks to the labour progress. After pushing the baby for five hours, the obstetrician came in and told us that the best option would be to have a forceps delivery, and if we couldn't get the baby out in two attempts, I would have a caesarian section. I was not given any further information about the risks or alternatives to forceps and the obstetrician further injected me to have the placenta delivered because it was apparently easier and faster. This was against my wishes and the agreed conditions of my birth plan.

The above unnecessary interventions caused a lot of physical and emotional damage to my family, and the further mistreatment by hospital staff ensured that we couldn't establish breastfeeding. Both myself and my baby sustained horrific injuries, which also prevented breastfeeding. Several months later, after a range of health issues, including colic, reflux and numerous allergies, my boy got a severe case of eczema, which is one of the potential side effects of antibiotics in labour. All of these issues were once again related to the traumatic birth that was imposed upon us through the outdated hospital policies.

I am only one of many women who have felt violated as a result of hospital staff following policies and not respecting our consent and discussing the risks of any interventions. The hospital staff were horrified at our request to delay cord clamping and insisted on doing blood tests on our newborn against our consent. After I complained to the hospital and the health commission, I received an apology and was told to seek treatment through my psychologist. No explanation was offered yet again as to why we were treated as high risk.

The damage that these outdated types of policies and procedures are doing to women and children across Australia is too great to ignore. Medical interventions have their place; however, in some cases they are unnecessary and can lead to other issues. In some hospitals, generally in midwife lead programs, the rate of intervention is really low, around 5% and yet in others it is considerably higher than the recommended standard, around 30% or more. The World Health Organisation recommends between 10-15%. The actual figures are alarming to say the least.

The birth experience should be a one to remember, not the one to forget. Birth is a natural process in most cases women should be allowed to have the experience they want, unless there are medical conditions that warrant interventions or assistance. The hospital policies need to be revised in line with the recommended standards and the staff educated on the benefits of the natural birth processes and supporting the mother and child, instead of getting the babies out as quickly as possible. A fully informed consent needs to be provided to parents before, during and after childbirth. We as women deserve better and our children certainly deserve the best start in life.