Alicia Woodfield listened to soft music during the birth of her son, hoping her first child would be calmly welcomed into the world.
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But in the months after Archie was born acoustic music came to haunt her, serving only as a reminder of his traumatic birth.
"I was just a mess," Mrs Woodfield told AAP.
"Music would just take my mind back and I would relive the whole thing in my head."
Mrs Woodfield gave birth in a NSW hospital in January 2022, when she was unexpectedly induced, pressured to have an epidural and had an unplanned and unwanted caesarean section.
Afterwards, she was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and sought help from a counsellor at the Gidget Foundation to cope with her second pregnancy.
Giving birth to daughter Cleo in October 2023 was a positive and joyful experience, after therapy gave her the strength to advocate for herself in hospital.
"I was like ... I'm not going to have someone just make these decisions for me."
The recent NSW birth trauma inquiry, which received thousands of submissions from around Australia, heard many similar stories about the lingering harm when informed consent is lacking.
Women told of sudden and highly invasive procedures during and after birth, humiliating interactions with unknown medical staff and unwanted inductions or caesarean sections.
Informed consent is the theme of birth trauma awareness week, two months after the inquiry's final report found consent should be a priority in medical settings.
New research by maternity groups confirms the depth of the issue.
One third of birthing parents agreed to medical interventions without understanding the risks, according to a study commissioned for the Australasian Birth Trauma Association.
Its survey of 1005 birthing parents from across the country showed more than half experienced mental or physical health challenges after birth.
Another survey of 500 new parents by the Gidget Foundation found 55 per cent of mothers reported unexpected distress during birth, while 80 per cent were not adequately prepared for physical complications.
It is critical families have access to good information about their birthing options to minimise trauma, the foundation's clinical director Karen Edwards said.
Support after birth is also key, as an event that is traumatic for one parent may not be for another.
"Having an opportunity to explore complex emotions and make sense of distressing thoughts and feelings is an important step in birth trauma recovery," Ms Edwards said.
Mrs Woodfield said she hoped greater awareness of birth trauma leads to improved continuity of care, transparency around inductions and interventions, and better communication between staff and patients.
"Doctors need to be aware that trauma is an actual thing," she said.
"It's not just someone getting upset about something silly. It's real and they have to take that into consideration when dealing with their patients."
Australian Associated Press
