Looking back on our birth experience, I can honestly say it was one of the most empowering and incredible experiences of my life. I hope that by sharing our birth story, it inspires and empowers other women to move past their fear and see how miraculous the body really is. I noticed throughout my own pregnancy, there was a great deal of negativity and fear surrounding birth – whether it was from other stories, opinions or other people’s experiences. With this being my first child, there was naturally fear of the unknown already present, so I really had to make an effort to surround myself with positivity and block out any fear-based stories.

One of the most important things I can recommend to all the pregnant mamas out there, is to educate yourself as much as possible. Learn about the hormonal systems and changes that occur during birth, the physical changes during labour, the stages of birth, tools and techniques for labour and pain relief options (how they work, and the side effects associated). When a woman feels safe and empowered during labour, it allows her hormones and body to work to it’s full potential. Therefore there may be a reduced need for intervention, and lead to an overall positive birth experience no matter what the outcome.

Please know that I am not against medical intervention. There is a very important place for it, and it does save lives. We chose to have a home birth as it’s the place where I felt most comfortable and relaxed. We had agreed with our midwifes that we would be happy to transfer to the hospital if need be.

Our Story

Our beautiful baby boy Jack, arrived peacefully at 3:15am on 7th August, after 6 hours of labour. He weighed 3.5kg. I didn’t have many major signs of labour commencing, only a few minor cramps on and off a few days before. The day I went into labour,  I had a Chiropractic appointment in the morning (perfect timing!), I took the dog for a long walk and spent the afternoon resting. I was actually feeling really good that day, my energy levels were good and I felt relaxed.

Stage 1

I had 2 slightly stronger cramps during the day – one at lunchtime and around 6pm, I thought nothing of it. At 9pm, my waters broke. I’m not going to lie, I panicked … I wasn’t ready … I was soooooo nervous!

I called our Midwife and Doula to let them know what’s happening, they calmed me down and I was told to try and get some rest. About 10 minutes after my waters broke the surges started, there was no rest for me! They were quite frequent, and stronger than I expected. I was unable to lay in bed and rest, so I sat on the fit ball and started breathing through them. Over time my body adjusted to the pain sensation, and I seemed to cope with them better. By 9:30pm they had really started to build, so I decided to use the TENS machine. I honestly felt this machine was one of the best things that helped me through the contractions, and cope with the pain. I highly recommend this in your labour tool kit.

At 10:30pm I asked hubby to call our Doula (Briony) to come over, she conveniently lives around the corner and arrived within minutes thank goodness! As soon as she arrived I felt calm, safe and supported for the journey ahead. I kept the TENS machine on for about 4 hours, whilst labouring on the bedroom floor leaning over the bed. We had dim lights, essential oils, candles and relaxing music. Briony stayed with me the entire time I was on the floor, helping me breathe and rock through each surge. I also wore an eye mask on to prevent distractions, I really went inwards and trusted that my body was doing everything it needed to do.

Reducing distractions helps labour and dilation to progress. Although the surges were intense, I never felt like they were unbearable. I visualised what my body was doing internally during this time, I really believe it helped me to stay calm and trust what was happening.  I focused on one contraction at a time, and was completely unaware of how long I’d been labouring for. There was no screaming or yelling (like the movies/TV portrays), just swaying, rocking and breathing … anything to get me through each surge! Don’t get me wrong, if you need to be vocal then there’s nothing wrong with that either DO WHATEVER FEELS GOOD FOR YOU. I had previously made electrolyte ice cubes beforehand, to help support my energy levels and hydration during labour. Some women find the cold sensation a nice distraction during contractions which is a bonus!

Our midwife arrived just after midnight, the surges were much closer together by this stage, about 2 minutes apart. I vomited just before she arrived, this is a common sign of being close to transitioning into stage 2 labour (the pushing stage). I was actually surprised it was all happening so quickly. We had no internal examinations to see how dilated I was, as this can be a distraction and slow down the process. Our midwife was happy with how everything was progressing, and checked bub’s heart rate regularly to monitor him.

(The final hour of Stage One labour; Photography by @thenestingplace)

It took an hour to inflate & fill the birthing pool, which was set up in the lounge room. Despite the  bright lighting in the photos below, the room was actually dark and lit by candles. Not long after getting in the pool, the contractions intensified quickly, sometimes doubling up (thank goodness for the warm water to help soothe my back!). I kept breathing through them whilst the midwife poured warm water over my back to help with each surge. During the last 30 minutes or so, I probably looked like a bit of a crazy lady, banging and swaying on the side of the pool. Anything to distract me and get me through the contraction!

I’m not going to say that labour was easy, or painless, but I really felt the tools I’d used helped me to manage them naturally. We also had the option of sterile water injections for pain relief if required (speak to your healthcare for more information on this). I can understand why women seek pain relief after enduring hours and hours of labour, there is no judgement from me here 😉

Stage 2

(The Pushing Stage)

When the pushing stage started, and I was literally blown away by the power of the body. There was no ‘trying’ to push, the body did it on it’s own – with immense power. Ladies, our bodies are truly amazing of what they are capable of, never doubt it’s ability. The pushing stage lasted for 30 minutes in total, it was powerful and intense but there were breaks of peace and stillness to rest. I don’t recall anymore pain during this time, only the strong sensation to push. The adrenalin running through my body would cause my legs to shake about 10seconds before each pushing sensation would occur. I was extremely vocal during this phase, not yelling from pain … more of a deep roar as my body pushed down. This all happened naturally, I just went with it (no matter how stupid I looked or sounded!).

When Jack finally crowned, it took all my strength not to just push him out in between the surges (this can sometimes be cause tearing). There was such a strong sensation to push constantly at this stage, but I followed the midwives guidance and held off until the surge started again. I also followed Ina May Gaskin’s breathing techniques, using the horse lips breathing between surges – I looked silly but I didn’t tear so it was worth it! It took 3 pushes after he crowned to be birthed, before being placed on my chest for skin to skin contact. Jack came out with his hand next to his face, just to challenge me a little bit more… and he now sleeps with his hand in the same position which is very cute!

(Photography by @thenestingplace)

Stage 3

The placenta was delivered about 15minutes later. Finally the surges ended, and we were just in awe of our baby boy and the experience we’d just had! I am so grateful to have had such an empowering, beautiful and calm birth.

I hope our story can bring some faith, and a positive perspective on childbirth. Whether you’re currently pregnant, or have your own fears about birth, you may find the tools and resources below helpful. What happens during birth is out of our control, however there is a lot that can be done in the lead up to help educate yourself and create the best experience possible – no matter what the outcome is. Whether you have a natural birth, c-section or use pain relief options, you can still create a beautiful birth experience and know you’ve done all you can to have a safe and healthy baby.

I want to say a huge thank to our amazing birth team Rachele & Briony, for an experience we will treasure forever! And of course to my amazing husband, who had my back throughout the entire pregnancy and birth. Thank you for trusting me, and my dreams to have a home birth.

(Photography by @thenestingplace)

RECOMMENDED BOOKS:

Ina May Gaskin – Ina May’s Guide to Childbirth

Dr Sarah Buckley – Gentle Birth, Gentle Mothering

BIRTH COURSES & TOOLS

Calm Birth (this is a fantastic option to help educate yourself and your partner, I can’t recommend CalmBirth enough!)

Labour TENS Machine: We hired the TENS machine, but you can also purchase them from Birth Partner (www.birthpartner.com.au)

PRACTITIONER SUPPORT DURING PREGNANCY & THE BIRTH

Midwife: Rachele Meredith (www.withwoman.com.au)

Doula: Briony (www.thenestingplace.com.au)

Acupuncture: Sandy Hewitt (www.sandyhewittchinesemedicine.com.au)

Chiropractor: Nick Greene (www.greenechiropractic.com.au)

My Favourite Songs On The Birth Playlist

Hallelujah (Jai Jagdeesh)

In Dreams (Jai Jagdeesh)

Feels Like Home (Edwina Hayes)

Can’t Help Falling In Love (Ingrid Michaelson)

Suzie x