A woman who used her own experience with significant birth-related trauma to help other families is among scores of Queenslanders recognised on the King’s Birthday Honours List. SEE THE FULL LIST HERE
919 outstanding Australians will receive Kings’ Birthday Honours this year
Qualified personal trainer, Amy Dawes, experienced birth related trauma in 2013. After a challenging few years, she co-founded the Australasian Birth Trauma Association to help other families, and has today been awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia for service to women’s health on the King’s Birthday Honours List.
SCROLL DOWN FOR THE FULL LIST OF QLD’S HONOURS RECIPIENTS
“It resulted in life altering injuries and I didn’t know that could happen as a consequence of child birth at the time.
“I was a young mum navigating early parenthood and really struggling with my injuries.”
Amy Dawes, OAM, from Australasian Birth Trauma Association at her Buderim home with nine-year-old Eliya and six-year-old Indi. Picture: Richard Walker
Ms Dawes said it took her a while to realise the problem she was facing.
“I think it’s really important to acknowledge – when people have experienced trauma it often takes years before they recognise they have trauma and that’s what we are trying to change,” she said.
“In my situation, I actually didn’t realise how significant my injuries were until 16 months post partem.
“They were so severe, at one point I thought perhaps my daughter would be better off without me, that’s how dark my headspace was.”
After a year she was diagnosed she got into a better place mentally and started researching more into the issue.
Amy Dawes, OAM, from Australasian Birth Trauma Association, has used her own experience with significant birth-related trauma to help other families.
Ms Dawes discovered work led by Liz Skinner, a midwife and registered nurse who did research into trauma. Together they started the charity to help educate professionals with birthing families to help better diagnose and treat it.
“I thought, why aren’t we talking about it and that was when I began a mission to help raise awareness so no one else would have to suffer in silence like I did,” she said.
“There is a maternity crisis across the country and we definitely see that. Statistically one in three women view their birth as traumatic, a lot of that trauma is unpreventable.”
Ms Dawes said everyone in the organisation has a lived experience and they provide peer support.
Loading embed…