Content warning: this article contains graphic description of traumatic birth Sam, my only child, came rushing into the world as a six weeks early, tiny 4.7lb baby boy in October 2011. The delivery was complicated. After Sam got stuck in the birthing canal, he was swiftly extricated with forceps as his heart was beginning to fail. The damage done to me in the process was profound. I suffered tearing through my rectum and into my vagina, leaving me with irreparable injuries and a permanent stoma. An opportunity to repair the damage to my sphincter was missed, an abscess developed, and I was left in extreme pain for several days, until the abscess was discovered after I complained that I was faecally incontinent. I had developed a recto-vaginal fistula, with faeces coming out of my vagina, creating a veritable breeding ground for bacteria and infection. Up to 30,000 women every year experience a traumatic birth, but I was one of the unlucky few to end up with extremely rare, severe long-term injuries. I was officially disabled.