By Jessie Curran, journalism student
Jordy Cameron needed 12 stitches after an episiotomy that extended during birth. Photo: Jessie Curran
Nearly two years ago, a change was made to Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC) legislation to cover specific categories of birth injuries, such as prolapses, tears, and dislocations.
Accepted birthing injury claims jumped from 295 in the year before the change, to 5665 the following year.
But that number falls well short of the 28,000 cases ACC predicted would be covered every year when the change was first proposed.
Māmā to one-year-old Harriet Campbell, Jordy Cameron, did not know she was covered under ACC.
The 26-year-old needed 12 stitches after an episiotomy that extended during birth.
The ACC policy change was estimated to help 28,000 women. Photo: Jessie Curran
An episiotomy is a cut made into the perineum and vaginal wall to make more space for a baby to be born.
Cameron said six weeks later, one of the women in her antenatal group asked if she had filed an ACC claim.
"There were six people in my antenatal group and only one of them knew about it," she said.
Cameron said the medical professionals present at births should let the mother know about relevant ACC cover.
Caroline Baker has a three-year-old son and a two-year-old daughter. Photo: Jessie Curran
Mother of two with one on the way, Caroline Baker, said she did not know about the ACC cover.
Despite two second-degree tears, the 32-year-old said she did not think the cover would have been available to her.
Founder and CEO of birth trauma support website My Birth Story, Kate Hicks, said the "biggest barriers" to people getting care under the ACC is that "they just don't know about it".
Hicks was on the ACC expert advisory board and was involved in the policy change.
She said the focus was on informing practitioners so they could inform consumers, however, the practitioners were passing on misinformation.
ACC made a legislative change in 2022 to cover specific categories of birth injuries. Photo: Jessie Curran
"For example, saying that they had to make a claim within six months of the baby's birth but that's completely false," she said.
Hicks said societal attitudes around birth was another barrier to the scheme and made women feel like birthing injuries was something they had to put up with.
"People just aren't getting the cover," she said.
ACC manager of strategic clinical advice and governance Dr Dilky Rasiah said it has been working with the community to raise awareness of the legislation change.
Rasiah said an increase in claims was anticipated over-time as providers and parents become more familiar with the change.