Being informed led to the most amazing and incredible birth.

Thursday 31st December I started to notice a change in colour to my discharge. On Friday 1 January, I awoke, went for an hour walk and then came home to notice continued changes to the discharge (my thoughts were it was my mucous plug). Friday morning and throughout Friday I felt tightenings but nothing at all that stopped me in my tracks. I went to go to bed Friday night however the tightenings increased and I just couldn't get comfortable. I started using the Tens machine I had hired and went most of the night just moving about the house wherever I could find temporary relief but unfortunately no sleep. Saturday morning, 2 January they had increased in intensity so we rang 13Health and they suggested to head into the hospital to see where I was at. They monitored the baby and the surges - at that time I was 2cm dilated and surges about 3 every 10 mins but not consistently. We went home to continue.

Upon coming home I moved between the shower, bath and gym ball. Unfortunately, I had lost my appetite so my energy levels were low and I was unsure how I was going to get through but as soon as we went back to the hospital at 8:30 pm that evening I found a new focus. Upon arrival I was in active labour, cervix softened and 5cm dilated. I was transferred to the birth suite where our amazing midwife had set up the room perfectly - fairy lights, LED candles, aromatherapy, birth pool, everything. There was no talk of vaginal examinations and only monitoring using the doppler periodically. She was the only one in the room the entire time. She interacted with my birth partner

Dan and allowed me the space to focus. Between arriving in the birth suite at about 10 pm, I moved about the room, used the shower, slow dance with Dan and then decided it was time to get in the birth pool. Apparently, the time between finishing in the shower, moving into the pool, pushing and him arriving was only 10 mins. I was able to receive Jaxx in the pool, have immediate skin to skin contact and was given my request of 1 hour for a physiological third stage. I managed to have a physiological third stage and no intervention at all throughout the entire labour process. We had delayed cord clamping and had his first breastfeed after about 1.5 hours of skin to skin. Dan also got skin to skin. I cannot tell you how empowering it was to be informed and have my partner advocate for me. At times there was doubt but I managed to come back to focus and am so incredibly proud of what I achieved. Born on his due date and able to go into spontaneous labour - so happy!

Since birth, Jaxx has managed to go leaps and bounds and I have been well too. He was discharged two days later at the same weight he was born - haha they thought there was something wrong with the scales but nope that's correct :) Since coming home, he has been gaining weight and feeding well!

So a massive thank you! I really believe the power of this course, the practice before birth and both Dan and I.