In 1997 I gave birth to my first baby. What followed were several years of anguish. I felt something was wrong soon after the birth but never having had a baby before I thought what I was experiencing must be normal. My baby was 7 days old when I was told I had a recto-vaginal fistula and needed a colostomy immediately. I felt relief at the time of being told, knowing there was actually something wrong with me and I wasn't imagining it. My husband thought I was going to die. We were told very little about what a fistula or a colostomy is.

Little did I know it was to be 12 operations (including two types of stoma) over a period of 20 months, before my fistula would be fully repaired. It would also take many months of physiotherapy, learning to live with the consequences of this injury and dealing with the psychological impact.

The impact this obstetric injury had on both me and my family was enormous. Adapting to a newborn baby became secondary and I now feel cheated of what is mostly a wonderful experience for women. Many of my friends have gone on to have more children. My experience made me wary of pursuing this for many years.

The birth of my second child in 2004 bought my first experience of childbirth into sharp contrast. It took me days to realise this time around nothing was wrong, everything went smoothly. There were no complications. This is what the having a baby experience is all about.

Several things impelled me to turn my traumatic experience into something positive: The lack of information in the initial stage; my feelings of isolation (Is there anyone in Melbourne who has had a fistula through childbirth?); and whilst childbirth for most women is a positive experience, what if it is not?

It was my own experience that made me acutely aware of the total lack of infrastructure available to support women, and their families, who have suffered from this injury. This drove me to establish the RVF Support Network Inc.

Wendy Powell

Founder