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Background There is a need for evidence-based guidance on complementary medicines and therapies (CMT) use during pregnancy due to high prevalence of use and lack of guidance on the balance of benefit and harms. Aim Evaluate the extent to which current clinical practice guidelines relevant to Australian healthcare professionals make clear and unambiguous recommendations about CMT use in pregnancy, and synthesise these recommendations. Methods The search included EMBASE, PubMed, the National Health and Medical Research Council’s Clinical Practice Guidelines Portal, and websites of Australian maternity hospitals and professional/not-for-profit organisations for published guidelines on pregnancy care. Data were synthesised narratively. Guidelines were appraised by two independent reviewers using the Appraisal of Guidelines for Research and Evaluation (AGREE II) instrument. Findings A total of 48 guidelines were found, of which 41% provided recommendations that were not limited to routine vitamin and mineral supplementation. There were wide variations in recommendations, particularly for vitamin D and calcium. There was some consensus on recommending ginger and vitamin B6 for nausea and vomiting, and additional supplementation for women with obesity. Guidelines generally scored poorly in the domains of editorial independence and rigour of development. Discussion There is a lack of guidance with regard to appropriate CMT use during pregnancy, which may result in less-than-optimal care. Inconsistency between guidelines may lead to variations in care. Conclusion Guidelines should include clear and unambiguous guidance on appropriate CMT use during pregnancy, be based on a structured search of the evidence and informed by stakeholder engagement.

Background This case study explores the four pregnancy and birthing journeys of Wiradjuri & Ngemba-Wayilwan woman, Fleur Magick Dennis. Fleur provides a personal account of her journeys and relates them to socio-cultural issues surrounding her life during these times. Fleur experienced her first birth in hospital and her three next births at different locations out of hospital on Wiradjuri Country. Fleur is able to show that her personal wellbeing & healing and that of her family & community is linked to her having been able to birth according to her spiritual & cultural beliefs. The midwife for Fleur’s third and fourth pregnancy, Hazel Keedle, then provides a brief account of her experiences supporting Fleur in her choices and explores the impact of these births on her midwifery and personal life.

Background There appears to be a chasm between idealised motherhood and reality, and for women who experience birth trauma this can be more extreme and impact on mental health. Australia is unique in providing residential parenting services to support women with parenting needs such as sleep or feeding difficulties. Women who attend residential parenting services have experienced higher rates of intervention in birth and poor perinatal mental health but it is unknown how birth trauma may impact on early parenting. Aims and objectives This study aims to explore the early parenting experiences of women who have accessed residential parenting services in Australia and consider their birth was traumatic. Methods In-depth interviews were conducted with eight women across Australia who had experienced birth trauma and accessed residential parenting services in the early parenting period. These interviews were conducted both face to face and over the telephone. The data was analysed using thematic analysis. Findings One overarching theme was identified: “The Perfect Storm of Trauma” which identified that the participants in this study who accessed residential parenting services were more likely to have entered pregnancy with pre-existing vulnerabilities, and experienced a culmination of traumatic events during labour, birth, and in the early parenting period. Four subthemes were identified: “Bringing Baggage to Birth”, “Trauma through a Thousand Cuts”, “Thrown into the Pressure Cooker”, and “Trying to work it all out”. Conclusion How women are cared for during their labour, birth and postnatal period impacts on how they manage early parenthood. Support is crucial for women, including practical parenting support, and emotional support by health professionals and peers.