Home • News • Mum who suffered a traumatic birth is still suffering from life-changing injuries 15 years later

Mum who suffered a traumatic birth is still suffering from life-changing injuries 15 years later

MASIC advocate Geeta Nayar suffered a third-degree perineal tear and nerve damage when her first child was delivered by forceps.
She underwent surgery following this, but after the operation failed she started suffering symptoms from the traumatic delivery one day later. These included pain, scar tissue and incontinence – the inability to control your bladder or bowel.

“I went from being a resilient, independent woman to needing significant help… While my friends were meeting in the park and attending baby groups, I was barely able to leave the house. I struggled on, but, after several months the situation was dire. It was only when I finally saw a specialist several months later I was told for the first time how serious my injuries were. It was horrifying to hear, but also, a relief to finally understand why my symptoms were so severe and debilitating. Since then I have undergone further surgical repairs which have also failed but I simply have had to adjust the way I live to cope.”

Geeta now works as a medical negligence lawyer for Irwin Mitchell and represents other mothers who suffer from obstetric anal sphincter injury (OASI). Research from the birth injury charity The MASIC Foundation found around one in 20 first-time mums suffer an OASI during childbirth. Further studies have found ethnicity also plays an issue, with women of Asian heritage around six times more likely to suffer an OASI than white women during natural delivery.

Read the article in full here: My London News

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Looking for support?

There is support available if you need it, don’t suffer in silence and don’t be afraid to ask for help and advice.

MASIC can help you over come the physical and emotional trauma you may have experienced during and after child birth. We can support you and guide you to helpful resources, all you need to do is get in touch.

Not sure where to start?

Please call the MASIC 24h freephone Birth Injury Support Helpline 0808 1640833

The stats speak for themselves.
More women are affected and need support…

85%

of women with severe birth injury said it impacted on their relationship with their child

78%

were affected by traumatic memories of the birth

52%

stated they were embarrassed by the symptoms of their injury

49%

of women affected said they doubted their ability to mother

45%

suffered postnatal depression as a result of their injury

24%

of women affected regretted having a child because of the injuries sustained