Source document: https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/1694573648772.pdf (Australia)
Stillbirth Research and Education Submission My name is .

I am 39 years old.

I have had 3 pregnancies which have all ended in loss.

An ectopic pregnancy which was resolved by surgery in 2013, a daughter born still at 41 weeks in 2015 and a miscarriage at approximately 10 weeks in 2017.

My pregnancy with my daughter, Molly Elaine, was normal and uncomplicated until the 41st week.
On the Monday, Molly’s movements changed – I had been for a walk, which was my normal morning routine and did not feel her moving whilst I was walking.

This was usual.

However, when I returned home, she was still not moving, and I contacted my midwife.

I was being cared for through a private midwife clinic.

I went in to the clinic at the suggestion of my midwife and Molly started moving in the car on the way in.

My midwife checked for Molly’s heartbeat which was strong.
I was told it was “normal” and that the baby was “running out of room”.

Tuesday afternoon I had an already scheduled appointment with the midwife, again Molly’s heartbeat was strong.

I had a stretch and sweep with the intent of bringing on labour.
I was warned of the risk of infection prior to the stretch and sweep but this was not discussed in depth with me, there was no discussion of what actual infections might possibly be passed to the baby through the barrier and there was certainly no discussion on the risk of stillbirth.

Looking back now, it was like a liability waiver, an almost throwaway comment that ‘just has to be said for the insurers’.

During my pregnancy, I had discussed with my midwife my desire to have a natural birth.
I had been reassured throughout that it was okay if we went past 40wks + 10 days, even so far as having been told that this was a timeline picked by doctors to allow them some time to push back an induction in case an emergency cropped up but still allow time to induce before 42wks.
I had informed my midwife that I did not feel comfortable going past 42 weeks but even then I was told that it was okay if that happened, that I would just require “extra monitoring” and that the average for first time mother’s was 41 weeks because some went over 42 weeks.
I had also, on numerous occasions, raised my concerns regarding possible pregnancy loss, especially given my previous ectopic pregnancy – this was an ongoing cause of stress for me throughout my pregnancy, which I discussed on numerous occasions with my midwife.

Each time I was reassured that my pregnancy was uncomplicated and progressing normally.

At no time did my midwife ever raise with me actual statistics, risks or, most importantly, warning signs of an impending stillbirth.
On Wednesday, Molly’s movements were frenetic, and I had severe back pain all day.

I mentioned this to the midwife but the frantic movement was dismissed because I had been at the cinemas at the time and the baby was likely reacting to the loud noises.

Otherwise we hoped the pain meant I was going into labour.

On Thursday morning (40w+11d), the pain had stopped, and my husband and I were both concerned that we hadn’t progressed, so we rang the midwife to insist on an inducement.
She scheduled it for Friday afternoon telling us she would give me the medication on Friday evening and that I would have the baby on Saturday.

On Thursday afternoon I developed a temperature to the point that I had a fit of rigors.

My husband and I again rang the midwife, but she told me this was normal, and I should take some Panadol.

I did, and this did alleviate the temperature.

I had another fit of rigors during the night but took more Panadol based on the earlier advice from the midwife.
On Friday morning, I started having contractions and my labor progressed throughout the day.

My midwife attended at my home when my contractions were close together but could not find the baby’s Stillbirth Research and EducationSubmission 130 heartbeat on her portable monitor.

She checked my cervix and told me I was dilated enough to go to the hospital.
I remember during the drive to the hospital convincing myself that the pain on Wednesday had been the baby turning around so that she was now spine to spine and that was why the midwife couldn’t find her heartbeat.

Sadly, when we got to the hospital, they could not find her heartbeat.

I recall being asked when I had last felt the baby move but I really can’t remember that for certain – I remember the baby moving in the morning before I went for my daily walk and then I started having regular contractions.
This was my first full term pregnancy and birth, it had never been properly explained to me what it would feel like and what I should be looking out for, i.e.

I should still be able to feel the baby moving through the contractions.

For the delivery, I requested and was given an epidural.

The anesthetist was obviously not informed of my circumstances before she entered the room and had to be pulled out by a midwife who was assisting to be told.

When she reentered the room she was more reserved.


My private midwife cared for me during the delivery assisted by another midwife from her clinic.

I gave birth to Molly in a room that was removed from the other birthing suites and I do not remember hearing any other births occurring.

We were then transferred to a room with a double bed so that my husband could spend the night in hospital with me and Molly.
We were given a cuddle cot and were able to visit Molly every day in the hospital until we arranged for her transfer to a funeral home.

Unfortunately, the room was in the maternal wing of the hospital so leaving the day after her birth, I was confronted by pregnant women and the sounds of heartrate monitors.

This also happened each time I came back to visit which was both challenging and heartbreaking each time my husband and I attended at the hospital to spend time with our daughter.
I remain grateful for the time that I was able to spend with my baby at the hospital.

My midwife arranged for the perinatal loss coordinator to assist us and also for the organization, Heartfelt, to attend at the hospital to take photos.

Since this time however, I have read more about stillbirth, the warning signs etc.

and subsequently I made a complaint to AHPRA that my midwife did not refer me to hospital earlier instead of waiting for me to spontaneously go into labour.
Indeed, my midwife told us after the birth that she had deliberately not referred me to the hospital on Thursday to give me more time to spontaneously go into labour.

My follow up appointment with the hospital, some 6 or 8 weeks after Molly’s birth, was not helpful.

My husband and I had refused an autopsy.

We allowed some testing including an MRI but could not cope with the idea of someone cutting into our baby daughter.
It was also explained to us that there was only around a 40% chance they would actually find a cause for her death.

Since that time, I have heard of another couple, a colleague of my mother, whose baby was still born at 36 weeks, who opted to have an autopsy performed but then had to wait over 4 weeks before their baby’s remains were returned for burial.

The conclusion of the hospital was that Molly’s cause of death was inconclusive, that Molly had possibly died because of an infection or being post-term.
After each of my losses I have been “reassured” by medical staff that “at least you can fall pregnant” or “at least you can have another baby”.

I think that part of any medical staff’s training should be to NOT start any sentence with “at least”; to me this demeans the loss I am grieving by being told I should be grateful for something associated with the loss of my babies.

Stillbirth Research and EducationSubmission 130 It has been two and a half years since Molly’s birth (and death).
I gave notice on my job immediately that I wouldn’t be going back – I associated that workplace now with my pregnancy and realized that I would never be able to go back there.

I have only just now been able to accept a full time position at another workplace.

Up until now the idea of working full time for someone has filled me with anxiety – I get tired and stressed and anxious very easily, I find it hard to get out of bed and leave my house some days.
The only reason I have accepted this job is because I have been working for my employers on a casual basis for some time and they are very understanding of my circumstances and anxiety and that I might sometimes need either time off or the ability to work from home so I can calm myself down if my anxiety has gone beyond what I can cope with.

I find it hard to otherwise fit my words into the terms of reference you require for this submission.
My husband and I would like to see: • More funding into stillbirth prevention and education – foetal movement monitoring education in particular as I would very much like to never hear the phrase “the baby is running out of room” again.

• Education for medical health professionals in how to support parents through their loss, including coaching on how better to explain how an autopsy would be conducted, time lines etc.
To us, the idea of an autopsy for Molly was only negligently raised so it was easy to refuse, and knowing now that it might have taken over 4 weeks is also something we would not have been able to cope with at the time.

I do wonder though, if more still parents were willing, could something be learned?

• Funding for mandatory testing for infections such as Group B Streptrococcus for women in their third trimester, and that such testing is mandatory across all the states and territories of Australia.
• Dedicated funding to support groups such as SANDS and Heartfelt so they don’t have to rely solely on charity.

A major concern for my husband and I is that the reason that so many stillbirths are “inconclusive” is that doctors and the medical profession are potentially anxious to avoid exposure to liability.
We were told by the hospital that no one did anything wrong but if doctors and nurses and medical experts could be completely honest with each other (and us) about what went wrong or what was overlooked in a pregnancy, surely we could come up with some better guidelines to prevent future still births and neo-natal deaths.

Stillbirth Research and EducationSubmission 130