“I was informed afterwards, as I was being stitched up,” she said. “We are not just vessels for babies, we are people and need to be consulted and respected and cared for,” Kate said. “I really hope hospitals can get better at this.” While Victoria has some of the lowest perinatal death rates in the country, a comprehensive report into the state’s maternity services has found that some mothers are traumatised by their birth and hospital experiences. Women are being sent home from hospital within 48 hours of giving birth, separated from their babies for days and cut open during labour without their consent. The report has delivered more than 85 recommendations, including calls for major reviews into public hospitals' policies about discharging patients.

Of particular concern is an “increasing trend” to discharge women early to free up hospital beds, which means mothers can subsequently struggle with breastfeeding and their mental health. Melbourne mother Lydia Morgan told the parliamentary committee that when she had two of her children via caesarean section at Box Hill Hospital, she was sent home within two days on both occasions. “I say ‘kicked out’ as that is how it felt,” she said. “The cleaners were sent in to vacate my room.” Werribee GP Joe Garra said it was not unusual for him to argue with a bed manager about whether a woman was ready to go home with her baby.

But he would be told “she’s gone over her limit” or “we need the bed”. The average length of stay in Victoria following a vaginal delivery is 2½ days, while women who have had caesarean sections generally stay for about four days. Meanwhile, women living in regional Victoria told the inquiry distressing stories about being separated from their newborns. Megan Rickard said when her son was born via a caesarean section in Wangaratta he was flown to a Melbourne hospital without her. “This was without a doubt the single most traumatic and mentally debilitating thing that has ever happened to me,” she said.

“Max was taken away, I was informed that I could not go with him and I was not able to see him for the next three days. “In the end I actually discharged myself from hospital and I had to get my sister to drive me down to Melbourne to meet with my son, something that I believe should not have had to happen.” The committee also heard that there were instances where women did not give consent or were not asked for consent for procedures during labour. In their submission, the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists said that “choices in maternity care have historically been made on behalf of women, rather than by women”. The Andrews government is yet to indicate how it will respond to the long list of recommendations, which was released on Wednesday and is chaired by Labor MP Paul Edbrooke.