Day 3 | Session 8 | Concurrent | Birth trauma
Trauma and the delivery room
A very brief introduction to the concept of post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). What it looks like, how people get it and how having or developing PTSD impacts the delivery room.
Dr Charlie Mentzel
SMO / Senior Lecturer
Dr Mentzel is a psychiatrist and researcher who specializes in large dataset analysis and the interface between research and clinical practice. Clinically she works with trauma and personality disorders.
Birth Afterthoughts Clinic – the first two years
This presentation will highlight the key concerns raised by whānau attending the Birth Afterthoughts Clinic since its launch in January 2023, based on data gathered over the past two years. It will also explain the clinic's purpose, its goals for the future, and the insights gained so far. Additionally, we will explore how the data collected can inform improvements to enhance the maternity service experience for those accessing care.
Julie Edlin
Clinical Midwife Specialist
Christchurch Women's Hospital
Julie is a Clinical Midwife Specialist currently working at Christchurch Women’s Hospital. She is passionate about maternal mental health and alongside her colleague Heidi, has set up and facilitates Te Whatu Ora’s first Birth Afterthoughts Clinic. This clinic is for anyone who has experienced birth trauma or dissatisfaction and is a listening and debriefing service.
As a trauma-informed practitioner, Julie combines her wealth of midwifery knowledge, background in coaching, and postgraduate counselling qualifications to support women, birthing people and their whānau to better understand their childbirth experience. Julie is committed to creating positive change for birthing families.
Heidi Goebbels
Clinical Midwife Specialist
Christchurch Women's Hospital
Heidi is a Clinical Midwife Specialist at Christchurch Women’s Hospital with over 17 years of experience, from home births to tertiary care, and is completing her Master of Counselling at Canterbury University. She is co-developing Te Whatu Ora’s first Birth Afterthoughts Clinic with Julie Edlin, offering a supportive space for individuals and families to process their birth experiences.
Heidi is committed to ensuring those with challenging births feel heard, validated, and empowered, combining her midwifery expertise with counselling skills to provide compassionate, client-centered support.
What's happening in Australia: RANZCOG's response and ongoing actions
Jared Watts (Board Member) will share details about the growing focus on birth trauma in Australia, the conversation in the media and political contexts and RANZCOG’s response and ongoing actions.
Associate Professor Jared Watts
Board Director, RANZCOG
Head of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Kimberley, WA
Associate Professor, WA Rural Clinical School
Jared is currently the Head of Obstetrics and Gynaecology in the Kimberley of Western Australia, and Director of Obstetrics and Gynaecology for the WA Country Health Service. He also works as a medical coordinator and Associate Professor for the WA Rural Clinical School.
He has completed further studies in medical administration, international public health and tropical medicine and has worked internationally in several low resource settings including Nigeria, Cambodia, Laos, Sierra Leone and Syria.
Jared is passionate about rural medicine and First Nation Peoples’ Health and the role of generalists and the essential role they play in ensuring all women have access to high quality clinical care close to their home, family and support networks.
This is Jared’s second term as a Board Director.