In her own words, Marielle Smith describes parts of her first postpartum experience as excruciating. “I am incredibly lucky in the sense that I loved giving birth. But it was in the days and weeks that followed the birth that I really started to struggle,” she says.
“I had enormous difficulty breastfeeding. I mean, it was excruciatingly painful, every single moment of it. And as a result of that I developed postnatal anxiety. I think any mother who's had that trouble with breastfeeding knows it's a very emotional thing when it doesn't work out the way you had hoped.”
The South Australian senator was eventually able to get help from a lactation consultant and went on to feed her son for a year. But she’s cognisant that she was able to afford good quality postpartum care, and was able to access it due to living in a capital city.
“Good quality postpartum care shouldn't ever come down to those things. It shouldn't be about luck, what you can afford or where you live,” she says.
It was this belief that pushed the now mother-of-two towards campaigning for a national inquiry into postpartum care.
“I’ve been working on women’s health issues the entire time I’ve been in the parliament, from my very first speech through my committee work. I’ve been calling for greater support and greater investment in women’s health issues, and also for us to have national conversations which break down stigma and ensure that women’s voices can be heard.”
This month, her motion to establish a select committee into women’s health was passed in the Australian Senate. A select committee is a temporary group set to look closely at one specific issue. The formation of the group is both a personal and professional achievement for Senator Smith who says she is now keen to get stuck in.
“This is a really important piece of work for me because it is so deeply personal. When the motion went through the Senate, I just felt incredibly relieved because I know now that this piece of work will be done, we'll be able to elevate women's voices,” she says. “I think we can do better, but to get there we need to build that evidence base. We need to bring these women's experiences into that national conversation. So I'm really just determined to do it well.”
Having shared her own personal struggles postpartum, Senator Smith is now hoping other women will bravely do the same, the goal being to use those experiences to eventually inform government policy.
“I would love to hear from as many women as possible, because we know there are women who are struggling or who have struggled at this time in their lives,” she says.
“I want to know what would have helped them. And especially, I want to know how that help could we have reached you, because I remember during that time, you know, it was such it was so difficult. Even leaving the house was hard enough, let alone leaving the house, getting to a doctor, navigating referrals, working out what helped did exist and what didn't. So how do we actually get the services which do exist and the supports to women in a way which actually reaches them?”
Sharing your experience is easy. Public submissions are open for a total of six weeks, with women encouraged to share their story online.
The committee also plans to travel around Australia to speak with women and women’s health practitioners in person, to make sure as many voices as possible are included in the national conversation.
“This committee will provide a space for women to share their experiences, and have their voices heard,” Senator Smith says. “Too many women are suffering in the postpartum period. We cannot leave them to face this alone.”
Click here to make a public submission to the select committee on women’s health.
Submissions close October 9, 2026.
