Paige tells her birth story in her own words…

Whoah, where do I start? I went into labour not really knowing what I was in for, but enjoying being oblivious to what was about to happen. Normally I like to know all the deets, so I can mentally prepare myself - I am the kinda person that asks 1000000 questions to wrap my mind around things. But this was the exception, I kind of wanted to go in with no preconceptions, no expectations and just work through anything that came my way. I did, however, know we were having a girl. 

So I was nearly two weeks overdue, I opted to not be induced earlier because I was a little set on trying to allow my body to go into labour naturally. I had a stretch and sweep (what an interesting experience) at 41 weeks, in which nothing happened. And then another 6 days later, at 3PM Sunday 20 June 2021. The midwives let me go as long as possible before they said they had to induce me, so I was booked in to get induced the next day on Monday 21 June 2021. Funnily enough, after my second stretch and sweep a few hours earlier on Sunday 20 June 2021, I was at dinner at my parents house, and I started to get some cramping pain. When I came home, I knew it was the start of labour so I packed some snacks in my hospital bag, had a long shower and jumped into bed at bout 10PM. I couldn't sleep, I was having a contraction every 15 minutes or so, so I just scrolled on my phone for a few hours.

By midnight, I couldn't sit through a contraction and had to walk through it. I think at this stage they were about 10 minutes apart. I told Mick to get his rest because I would need him, and would just wake him up if I needed him. The next four hours I spent walking around the living room, grunting through contractions. At 4AM I woke Mick, because I was now screaming through each contraction and they were about 2 minutes apart. I jumped in the shower and Mick called the midwife who said to hold out until the morning. At 6AM the contractions were so intense, I honestly couldn't help but scream at the top of my lungs. We called the midwife again and she said to wait a few more hours, but Mick said no - we are coming to the hospital. 

We jumped in the car and headed towards the hospital. There are so many darn speed bumps in between our house and the hospital and I yelled at Mick to slow down going over them - and he immediately did a U-turn and went the longer way without the speedbumps in fear of getting his head bitten off.

We went through the continuity program at the Canberra Hospital. Which was amazing! Highly recommend it. We got accepted into the program when I was 33 weeks and got to get to know our midwife over the next 8 weeks or so. But sadly because I was so overdue, the midwife that we were assigned had booked annual leave, so we got another who was equally as amazing.

We arrived at the hospital at 7AM and Courtney the midwife checked me, and then ran a bath for me. I jumped in immediately, with my neat ponytail, sports shorts and sports bra. I was already pretty tired from not having slept a wink the night before, and not being able to control the screaming through my contractions but the bath took a load off immediately. But too much so, my contractions slowed and were much less intense. So the midwife said it was a good idea to jump out. So I did and the midwife checked me again, and said "make yourselves comfortable, I will be back in a few hours". Both of our jaws hit the floor. What the hell do you mean a few hours!?!?!?!??! I wasn't sure I could endure this for a few more hours. 

So a few more hours passed, I just went in between the shower and leaning against the bed. I couldn't move through a contraction, but I couldn't sit. I was so exhausted at this stage that my legs would uncontrollably shake through every contraction, and I still screamed through every contraction. When I say scream, I mean proper scream. At the top of my lungs. Courtney came to check me again around lunch time and she said again, I will come check again in a few hours. Again... we couldn't believe it. This was the first 'I'm not sure I can do this'. The pain of a contraction was so intense, but I was so exhausted. 

So it got to about 2PM, and my screaming changed from a high pitched scream, to a deeper more animalistic groan. Because I was so bloody loud, the midwife came down from the other end of the hallway and said we were on. By this time, the neat hair, sports shorts and sports bra were long gone and I was fully naked, feeling pretty raw but not even worried about it.

The midwife checked me and said I was fully dilated and ready to push. I asked her what position I should push in and she said 'you've got to figure it out for yourself darling, there is no answer'. I was in the bath at this point, but they said once I had the baby I had to stay in the water and I didn't like that thought. I considered standing up, to have gravity on my side but at this point, I was just too weak to stand up and push at the same time. So I was on the bed on my back. At this point I asked what my pain relief options were, and they suggested trying gas. I tried taking a few puffs but felt no effect from it and couldn't work it in between my screaming so ditched it. Mick took a puff of the gas and said it was so strong it made his head spin haha, the pain must have just been so intense that I didn't notice a difference between using it and not using it. It took me over one and a half hours of pushing and eating chicken crimpies in between contractions until finally, the head of our baby girl was visible. Once I got to that point, she was out within a few pushes. Mick was passing me water and anything I could get down between contractions. 

Baby girl was on my chest, and I went into shock. I could see what was happening, and hear everything but I just couldn't move or speak. They asked me if I wanted a needle to help the placenta out, and I managed to get out a tiny nod. Mick didn't know what a placenta was and was so confused, watching it come out and taking photos of it in shock haha. Mick took the baby off me to give me a moment, and Courtney and another midwife started doing some checks on her and me. The midwives tossed up whether to give me one stitch or not, and offered me to make the decision. I decided to get it. I tried the gas while getting my stitch and it worked much better this time. It was at this point they asked me what we were going to name her. We took three names to the hospital - Sage, Daisy and Poppy. So I put it to a vote in the room. And everyone voted Sage. So we were extremely happy and excited to meet Sage Grace Lovett. Born 41 + 6 days, at 4.2kg. 

From there I had a shower, and we got a room down in the ward to spend the night. I was so hungry, I ate my hospital dinner, I ate Mick's hospital dinner, then I got my parents to drop off Grill'd and I ate that too. I hadn't eaten a meal in almost 24 hours because of the contracts and the whole experience just took it out of me. I am excited for the next labour to wear my garmin to see how many calories I burnt because it would have been a PB. Once I was down in the ward, Courtney came up to visit and told me when I arrived at the hospital at 7AM I was 6CM dilated, and when she checked me at 1PM I was still only 6CM. But because both the baby and I were not stressed, she didn't tell us that was the case and let us go. And luckily, later that afternoon I progressed more quickly. I am so glad she made the decision to not tell me that I hadn't dilated more over those hours because it definitely would have stressed me out. I had an unexplainable fear of having to have a c-section and that would have been my immediate thought.

If you asked me to describe my birth experience, I would say long, but low stress - and just bloody wild! What an experience. There was a sign on the wall in the room saying, every contraction brings your baby closer to your arms, and I kept that in mind the whole day. 

What do you wish you knew before birth?
I don't think there is anything. Maybe to pack more snacks than you think. Like 10x more than you think. 

If you could, would you do anything differently?

I would have maybe opted to get a stretch and sweep earlier, and maybe, maybbbbbeeeeee would have got induced closer to my due date. Sage was a whopper baby, maybe 2 weeks less growing would have been kinder to my who-ha. 

What did your partner do that really helped during labour/birth?

Constantly offering me water and food, having a cold washer when I was hot, getting the shower ready at a good temperature, and updating our parents throughout the day. He also was on top of asking questions, the way I would have liked to if I wasn't so busy screaming at the top of my lungs. He was everything I needed on the day. 

What advice/honest truth would give a mama-to-be about birth?

Every contraction brings your baby closer to your arms. You've got this, you are stronger than you know.