First Nations families’ maternity care experiences in the Australian Capital Territory: Kapati Time Yarning, intergenerational trauma and the case for Birthing with Country

PROBLEM: First Nations women often experience harmful, inequitable maternity care, shaped by intergenerational trauma and culturally unsafe care. BACKGROUND: Historical forced removal of First Nations children has created enduring trauma that influences pregnancy and birthing experiences. In the Australian Capital Territory, maternity care is provided through Western biomedical systems, where increasing child protection interventions and fear of surveillance affect women's engagement with care. AIM: The aim of this study was to explore the maternity care experiences of First Nations women and families in the Australian Capital Territory, and to understand participants' perspectives of culturally safe models of care. METHODS: This study used Kapati Time Yarning, an Indigenous Research Method based on relational storytelling. Fourteen First Nations women, partners, and family members participated between October 2024 and March 2025. Data were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. FINDINGS: Intergenerational trauma was identified as a key theme, with participants describing a persistent fear of child removal, race-based surveillance, and mistrust within maternity services. Pregnancy and birth were experienced as instances of heightened scrutiny, prompting hypervigilance, embodied protective behaviours, and care-avoidance, reinforcing cycles of trauma across generations. DISCUSSION: Many First Nations people are birthing away from their ancestral Country. The articulation of Birthing with Country offers a pathway to reframe maternity care by bringing Country, cultural authority, and relational care into the maternity space. CONCLUSION: Intergenerational trauma linked to forced child removals is actively reproduced within maternal health services. First Nations-led, culturally safe models such as Birthing with Country are essential to disrupt fear and surveillance, build trust, and support wellbeing.