New Zealand College of Midwives Journal 14 April 1996 : 10-12

This article discusses the important role that midwives play when caring for women who have been sexually abused. Child birth is recognised as being a potentially negative experience for an abused woman, as aspects of the labour and birth can reproduce the power dynamics of sexual abuse, leaving a woman feeling humiliated, dirty, violated or possibly alienated. Women who have been sexually abused often have a negative body image, believing their body to be wrecked or deformed by the abuse. Due to the changes a woman's body goes through during pregnancy, this can lead to similar feelings. For some women, however, pregnancy can be seen as an opportunity to see their bodies in a positive light and as good for something other than abuse. Post-partum, a woman may fear that her daughter could suffer from abuse as she did, may worry that her partner could abuse their child without her knowing, or be concerned that she can't be a 'good mother' because she herself was abused. The authors highlight that midwives need to guide a woman through the birth experience to minimise memories of sexual abuse, and involve the woman as much as possible in decision-making to facilitate feelings of control. They recommend that this is an important area that needs to be part of midwifery training and continuing education programmes.

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