Francesca Male missed the birth of her daughter and woke up in a hospital bed alone.
Mrs Male told the NSW birth trauma inquiry she was put under general anaesthetic for a caesarean section after two spinal block injections failed during an induced birth in March.
Doctors repeatedly dismissed her concerns that she could still feel pain after the injections and a surgeon was given the go-ahead to operate, she said.
"I will never forget the pain and fear I felt in the minutes that followed," Mrs Male told the inquiry, through tears, in Wagga Wagga on Tuesday.
"I was crying out, but dismissed for a third time, told that feeling pressure was normal and offered gas."
She was then put under, and she and her husband missed their daughter's birth.
"Requiring a general anaesthetic, whilst unfavourable, is not what led to our trauma," Mrs Male said.
"It's the fact I was not believed that I was in pain and this led to fear, unnecessary pain and distrust."
Many women have told the months-long inquiry about pain, serious symptoms and bodily autonomy being ignored during birth.
Laura Johnston said she was exposed to several medical interventions despite her objections, including the use of forceps, a vacuum and an episiotomy.
"Though the birth was clearly traumatic, it's the way I was treated during the labour that really sticks with me," Ms Johnston said.
The committee, which has received 4000 submissions from around Australia, is examining the effects of birth trauma, which can range from fear to injuries and life-threatening experiences.
GP Trudi Beck said many instances of trauma could be avoided with better communication from clinicians.
"The birth and the pregnancy belongs to the woman, the birth and the pregnancy does not belong to NSW Health," Dr Beck said.
"If that's something that could be culturally put out there ... it means we automatically default to consent."
Her colleague, Carl Henman, said some criticism of healthcare practitioners could be viewed in the context of medico-legal concerns.
Many clinicians fear what will happen if a patient's outcome isn't "perfect".
"Of course, there are no perfect outcomes, so it's a perfect storm for medicine and a perfect situation for the medico-legal community," Dr Henman said.
The inquiry was in part triggered by the stories of 30 women who wrote to the Health Care Complaints Commission last year with claims of poor treatment at Wagga Wagga base hospital.
Murrumbidgee Local Health District chief executive Jill Ludford apologised to the women.
"I'm sorry we let you down and I acknowledge the legacy birth trauma can have on a woman's mental, physical, social and emotional wellbeing and the impacts on their family," Ms Ludford said.
The district had conducted a "resilience assessment" of the hospital's maternity services and introduced several changes to embed a greater culture of respect, she said.
The committee is due to hand down its report in mid-2024.
