Taryn is a mother of three, living in remote Queensland. She has travelled thousands of kms to birth and no one birth was the same. Induction, epidural, venthouse extraction, natural, shoulder dystocia, 4th degree tear, caesarean. 

Taryn fell pregnant whilst living on a remote cattle station in the Gulf of Carpentaria. Living remotely the closest ‘quick access’ medical facility was 65 kms away, in a clinic, in Croydon. Although 65 kms sounds accessible flooding was an issue and it was not a fulltime facility. This facility was fly in, fly out and a doctor was only available once a fortnight. During Taryn’s first pregnancy, on the advice of friends in the medical field, she sought care with a private obstetrician in Brisbane at Mater Mothers. This obstetrician had experience working with rural women and so the advice Taryn received was relevant and showed consideration of her circumstances. For Taryn to reach Brisbane she needed to travel 2500 kms from home. This drive took days, requiring numerous overnight stops, and so Taryn only saw her care providers at the beginning and the end of her pregnancy. It is an official/legislated requirement that remote birthing women relocate prior to birth. They are required to leave home during the ‘possible birthing window’ and so Taryn relocated 6 weeks prior to her due date and began the process of waiting for her scheduled induction. She shares that although the drive was long and hard, being late in her third trimester, that it was not as difficult as the trip home. On the return trip travelling with a newly born infant, who was learning to feed, was difficult. 

After this first, positive birth experience, Taryn felt like a birth expert and so for her second pregnancy she chose to birth closer to home at a small, public hospital. This time Taryn would relocate to her parent’s house, only 1000 kms away in Proserpine. Both her grandfather and her father had been born in this small, rural maternity unit and so going in she felt good about this change of plan. Again, Taryn relocated. Arriving in town 6 weeks prior to her due date allowed Taryn to begin care with her hospital and rather than working with an obstetric specialist in this system she experienced midwife led care. Taryn went into labour naturally. Everything seemed to be going well but when things reached the pointy end and her son was crowning, his head would move in and out. A new doctor diagnosed that her baby was stuck (shoulder dystocia) and with hands on assistance her baby was born, although Taryn sustained a high order injury and needed to be transferred to Mackay. 

Having experienced two very different births, and dealing with some trauma around her second birth, when Taryn found out she was pregnant for a third time she sought an elective caesarean. She found the remote post-partum healing from a caesarean a lot easier than her birth related injury from her son’s birth. 

Every one of Taryn’s birth experiences was different. She is a strong, independent and resilient person who took her remote care circumstances in her stride – but she also shares that having one good friend, who understands and who can listen to/hear you, makes all the difference in remote pregnancy, postpartum and motherhood.