“We shouldn't have to beg to be heard”: a qualitative framework analysis of the public submissions to the NSW birth trauma inquiry

Objective To explore the experiences of the individuals (women and non-birthing people) who made a submission to the NSW Legislative Council Select Committee on Birth Trauma (2023). Design & setting A qualitative theory-driven deductive framework analysis of the 1213 uploaded submissions available on the Select Committee on Birth Trauma website. Participants The qualitative analysis explores the 1127 individual and 16 non-birthing person submissions and the 70 clinicians who also gave individual personal birth accounts in their submissions. This resulted in a total of 1213 submissions included in the qualitative analysis. Results There were five categories in the framework. The category with the highest number of inclusions from submissions was obstetric violence, followed by lack of care and support, physical trauma, loss of control, and fear for own or baby’s life. Conclusion Analysis of 1213 submissions to the NSW Birth Trauma Inquiry revealed recurring themes of obstetric violence, lack of care and support, physical trauma, loss of control, and fear for maternal or neonatal life. Obstetric violence emerged as the most frequently mentioned experience, yet this critical issue was absent from the inquiry’s final report and government response.