Scars of Beauty to shine light on birth trauma

LOCAL artist Alicia Huddy and friend and educator Emma Jensen are opening a community art exhibition, Scars of Beauty, this February, to help raise awareness about an issue that affects one in three people following childbirth.

Birth trauma can manifest in both physical and psychological ways and it’s not just the mother giving birth but also partners, health professionals and other family members that can be impacted.

BT issues that arise from the birthing experience tend go unmentioned due to the stigma involved, but Jensen and Huddy want that to change.

“A lot of the association with birth trauma is negative,” Jensen said.

“So, this is about switching that narrative and making it positive and shining some awareness on it.”

The art exhibition will display works from local artists, women and health care professionals, as well children who have been impacted by birth trauma.

Jensen’s daughter, Millie, aged five, produced an art piece on display, where she painted herself dressed in a superhero cape.

Millie created this when Jensen had to return to hospital after suffering a post-partum haemorrhage following the birth of her son Logan.

“It shows how Millie had to put her superhero cape on and step up to the plate and look after her brother while she was worried about her family,” Jensen said.

There was also a reason behind choosing an art exhibition as the platform to raise awareness with Huddy saying that art can help express things “that can’t be spoken about verbally”.

“Art is such a powerful tool to bring people together and tell stories,” she said.

“Sometimes something can come out while you’re making art that you didn’t even realise was there.”

The exhibition, at Dudley House, will open at 6pm, Thursday, 2 February and will involve guest speakers including Amy Dawes, CEO of the Australasian Birth Trauma Association.

The exhibition will finish up with a family funday on Sunday, 5 February which gets underway at 10am and will include art activities and more.

If you want to contribute art for the exhibition, go to aliciahuddyart.com/scarsofbeauty with submissions needed by Monday, 23 January.