“Little inconveniences” which matter: The impact of undiagnosed obstetric spinal and neurological issues following birth

An old friend and I caught up a little while ago, and she asked me if I’d ever heard of anyone having any strange and unexpected neurological symptoms after the “normal” and “uncomplicated” birth of their child. I shared a little about what I head learned in my research studies, and asked her why she was interested. With tears in her eyes, she told me that her last child’s birth had “ruined her”. Suddenly I noticed the way she was walking – her gait pattern was ataxic and she was managing minor foot drop. Her upper limb control was also obviously impacted. If I had not have known differently, I would have assumed she was presenting with minor stroke symptoms. Aside from this, she was just so clearly personally and emotionally affected by this issue, as a person and as a mother. We had a conversation about what had happened to her during and after the birth, and her struggle to find a medical practitioner or specialist who could offer a diagnosis and treatment plan. She is a highly competent and capable person with strong medical literacy, and in after a year of searching is still no closer to finding any answers. Right now, her life seems forever changed, and my heart broke a little seeing the emotional toll it was having on her.

I have searched a little for clues in the literature about this kind of issue, and was able to quickly find three articles which discussed awareness of this issue, but there was very nothing to be easily found about who can help women rehabilitate and recover their functional capacities following such events.

I know this search is only scratched the surface of this issue, but it made me think about the impact on my friend. Her sense of isolation, disempowerment and helplessness with being unable to diagnose and address her issues was unforgettable. I wonder how many other women are out there feeling like my friend does? It’s now on the list of things that need to be included with this PhD, and I hope that there may be some answers on offer and accessible help available in the near future for anyone suffering in this way.

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Author: Dr Hannah Slootjes (PhD)

I'm an occupational therapist, women's health researcher, academic, writer, mum, and passionate life learner. In 2022, I completed PhD exploring how OTs globally do, could or should work to promote health and maintain wellbeing for mothers during and after pregnancy, and matrescence. Titled, 'The Role of Occupational Therapists in Perinatal Health' my thesis introduced the Person-centered Occupational Model of Matrescence (POMM) to understand women's wellbeing from a human-centered approach, and the Functional Co-occupation Spectrum (FCS) for working with mother-infant dyads. I am currently teaching occupational therapy and public health students at La Trobe University, and writing a textbook about working with women during perinatal stages and matrescence based on my thesis (aiming for publication in 2024). I still love clinical practice, and work in women's health locally in Bendigo. After taking a year-long sabbatical to recover and re-energise after completing my PhD, I'm rolling up my sleeves and gearing up for the next life chapter! I'm still writing and teaching, and will be increasing practice-based supports for OTs from this website from May 2023. I am so looking forward to reconnecting with OTs practicing and researching in this space, and cannot wait to be part of the next phase of practice-based professional development! View all posts by Dr Hannah Slootjes (PhD)