Our beautiful, long and loving birth.
Before I start, I will let you know we had an “ideal” birth in mind, as everyone does.
However we were always open to different options and suggestions. Prior to hypnobirthing courses and meeting a midwife at around 14 weeks, I was adamant I wanted an elective C Section. Being naive I thought it was to save me from having to push.
After some wonderful education I completely changed my perception on Labour and Birthing and decided for a pain relief free birth and if pain relief was involved it was to be gas only.
I wanted minimal to no intervention and I completed the pregnancy with no internal examinations.
Friday 14th December at midnight (Baby Riley’s EDD) my surges started and we’re uncomfortable but doable. I let Shane know we’re probably having a baby tonight and tried to get some sleep (haha)
Saturday 15th December - surges all day. Inconsistent and a little annoying but intensified during the night again. I let Shane know that tonight we’re probably having a baby and tried to get some sleep. (Haha)
Sunday 16th December
I was excited today to have the baby because it is my late grandads birthday, so we wrote RILEYS COMING TODAY on the calendar. We called the midwife as surges were coming harder and faster.
Our midwife was off work until Monday. So we decided to just play it by ear.
Another midwife called us and let us know she was coming for a visit the next morning but to call if anything happened in the meantime.
Monday 17th December
NO BABY! We called our midwife again to let her know we were DEFINITELY having a baby today. She is sick and won’t be back at work until Friday.
Now... under normal circumstances I probably would have been pretty upset about the change of plans but, it helps when you’re calm about the things happening and accept and control what you can.
Our relief midwife was helpful and told us if we got too painful to go into the hospital.
9pm Monday night - we decided to go into the hospital, Shane and I had been up working through surges together since Friday night. We were exhausted -
And now we were at 2 mins apart - so we were definitely having a baby tonight !!!! (Haha)
At the hospital we saw the normal ward instead of the birth centre, and they offered an internal to gauge Dilation. At this stage we found out at 2 minute surges that we were 2cm and had a long way to go!
So we went home and tried to get some sleep! We were not having a baby tonight.
Tuesday - Surges all day. Hypnobirthing music, clary sage, walking, sex, reflexology, pumping. We were having a baby tonight!
After a visit from our midwife after lunch we were 3cm dilated after a long night and day.
We decided to go to hospital at 5.30 that afternoon after crying in the shower about how the government shouldn’t let us be in this much pain)
At this stage I got gas, immediately I was overwhelmed. It was, for me, the best pain relief.
I allowed myself some rest, Shane was on gas duty, making sure it was in my mouth at every contraction, rubbing me, water man, Gatorade provider, love giver and most of all my encouragement - I could not have done this mammoth job without the best support from him! His job was definitely harder than mine!
After some rest, we hopped in the shower and spent some time leaning over the back of a chair together, dancing and rocking under the warm water.
Around 10pm we hopped into the pool and spent a while in there, the most relaxing way to labour. Shane leaned against the bath wall with me in his lap and pushed through the surges together.
Guess what.... we were definitely having a baby tonight.
I started pushing trying to move her down the birth canal, being reminded to breath by Shane instead of screaming, he helped me use my breath for good instead of the screams. I was now at 10cm and ready for a baby, exactly as planned with gas and a pool.
After one of the surges, our midwife checked babies heart rate, which unfortunately had dropped dramatically and I was told to get out of the pool.
Back to the shower and her heart rate was still dropping.
I was then asked to move to the bed, where I was told we needed to get her out and I should have an epidural.
At 10cm I agreed knowing that our babe was in a little bit of danger and that it might not work in time.
Epidural in, I got the chance to push a few times myself but eventually the forceps were used to get her out.
She had her cord around her neck and meconium which is why she had dropped her heart rate, however she came out screaming and healthy so we were able to get skin to skin straight away. We were not able to have delayed cord clamping as planned due to the things above.
The story doesn’t go the way we planned, it doesn’t come too close to be honest, but what it was, was a beautiful, long and loving birth.
Regardless of the way it happened, we remained full of love, full of encouragement and we birthed the most beautiful healthy daughter at 1.50am on Tuesday morning - 18th December.
She was 3.30kg and 54cm long.
We’re so in love! The support I received from my birth partner and fiancé Shane meant I was able to bring our babe into this world with a smile on our face and knowing she was coming into a beautiful family!
We’re grateful and excited to be on this journey!
Thanks to Shari for playing a part in our birth story through hypnobirthing we learned many tools to use to help us on the journey! And guess what.... we finally had that baby!
Kate & Shane
Gold Coast
To book your spot in one of my group Hypnobirthing Courses on the Gold Coast CLICK HERE
To purchase the Online Course CLICK HERE
X kate and Shane (and baby Riley)
