A mother-of-two has called for forceps to be banned during childbirth after she was left with horrific injuries giving birth to her daughter Eliya.
Former personal trainer Amy Dawes suffered a stage two bladder and bowel prolapse after her daughter Eliya was delivered in December 2013.
The Brisbane woman’s pelvic floor muscle was completely torn from her pubic bone when doctors used forceps – a surgical instrument resembling a pair of tongs.
Amy Dawes has called for forceps to be banned during childbirth after she was left with horrific injuries giving birth to her daughter Eliya
A former personal trainer, Ms Dawes suffered a stage two bladder and bowel prolapse after her daughter Eliya was delivered via the forceps method in December 2013
Ms Dawes, who wanted a natural birth, was forced to choose between an emergency caesarean and using forceps when her baby wasn’t coming out.
‘I knew nothing of the risks of forceps but all the risks of a caesarean,’ she told Yahoo.
‘They don’t talk about forceps during prenatal or antenatal care. All it said was that they offer no risk to baby, but it didn’t mention what it does to women and how it affects the bonding with your child.’
Ms Dawes suffered third degree tears and extensive bleeding during the birth, but she said the long term injuries were far more debilitating.
About 16 months after giving birth, Ms Dawes said she suffered a prolapse and her pelvic floor muscle was torn from the bone.
Her organs, bladder and uterus were left with very little structural support.
Ms Dawes (pictured before giving birth in 2013) suffered debilitating injuries after a forceps delivery damaged her pelvic floor, leaving her unable to lift her baby or run after her
Ms Dawes (pictured right) was unable to lift her daughter Eliya due to her injuries
The former personal trainer said her once active life was turned upside-down.
‘I was told to avoid lifting my baby. I was told that I would no longer be doing sports which was a massive part of life. It was debilitating. I felt old before my time. It had completely altered my perspective on life.’
‘You never think at 35 years of age that your body could be broken beyond repair,’ she told Daily Mail Australia.
Ms Dawes said she wanted to prevent other mothers from suffering the same fate.
The Brisbane based mother co-founded the Australasian Birth Trauma Association support group to help and educate expectant mothers.
She said she now knew about forceps and the added risk they created for the mother, and wanted to share that information.
Ms Dawes said she wanted women to be in a better position to make informed decisions for themselves.
Amy Dawes (pictured left and right) with her daughter Eliya, whose birth has altered her ability to do basic tasks like get out of bed
‘There should be some focus about the mother’s well-being,’ she said.
‘It is so important to make change in this area.
‘Fifty percent of women who deliver a baby vaginally will suffer from pelvic organ prolapse at some point in their lifetime, but no one talks about it, it’s a silent epidemic.’
She is upset at not being informed of the risks of a forceps delivery, which took place after she had been in labour for 19 hours in excruciating pain.
‘I didn’t know what the long-term implications could be,’ she said.
‘There’s nothing more disempowering than choosing something that you think is best for your baby but realising you’ve altered your life completely.’
Ms Dawes, pictured with her daughter Eliya, wants to educate other women about the dangers of forceps
‘Having to think how I get out of bed in the morning, having to manage how I move.
‘I can’t say I feel 80 years of age but I feel older than my years.
The first-time mother’s physiotherapist advised her to avoid lifting heavy objects.
‘I do think I’m altered as a person because of how different my life is.
‘This is such a sensitive subject.
‘It’s very hard to get women to talk about this.’
Ms Dawes wishes she had been told about the dangers of a forceps delivery
Ms Dawes says the injuries from a forceps birth altered her as a person