I had a water birth at Queanbeyan hospital. In a calm and dark room lit up with fairy lights and tea candles. After labouring at home from 7 am till 1pm my beautiful 9 pound boy came into the world at 2:55pm. 

Leading up to birth I was always scared of transition stage because of my first son. I planned a water birth but I panicked in transition and got out of the bath begging for an epidural (it was too late) and ended up on the bed pushing on my back for an hour and a half and needed stitches afterwards.

This time I knew how important it was going to be to have the right support people in the room and that’s why  I decided to hire a Doula and connected with Jess Penca from You & Yours Doula. I reached out to Jess after seeing my previous OB and was told my baby was going to be big and to think about going down the c-section route. This upset me because I felt like I was having my confidence taken away before even trying to birth my baby. Going into birth you need to have this unshakable mindset that you CAN do this otherwise you will crumble. I thought to myself; I am almost 6 ft tall, my partner is 6’4”, of course we would have a bigger than average baby, but I myself am bigger than average. I believed I could do this and i decided to change OBs at 32 weeks and secured my Doula. Jess was so supportive and right away I felt safe and empowered by her. 

I did absolutely everything I could to make sure I was prepared for birth, physically and mentally. The mental preparation was absolute key in me staying calm through transition stage. I promised myself I wouldn’t once say during labour “I can’t do this”, when I was struggling and just started pushing feeling the sensation of that 36cm circumference head (ouch) coming down I remember feeling on the edge of losing it,  I had headphones in while I was in the bath with Hypnobirthing affirmations playing and just as I was thinking wow I don’t know if I can do this the lady came through my headphones saying “you can do this, your body was made to birth your baby” and instead I said “I can do this” I gripped my birth combs tightly in each hand and followed the urge to push with my next contraction and then my baby’s head was out after that effort.

The midwife and my doula asked if I could reach down and pull my baby to my chest but I honestly couldn’t move I was frozen with his head out and I just wanted to focus on getting him out. We waited for the next contraction and I pushed his shoulders and body out. I had to spin around and lift my leg over baby then he was put on my chest and I got to see the gender as we kept it a suprise. I began sobbing and just held my little boy on my chest with the greatest sense of achievement I’d ever felt.

I was so damn proud of my self, my body and my baby. What a team we were. I only had a very small tear that didn’t require stitching. When I think back it honestly couldn’t have gone better, it was the perfect birth for me and what I had been working so hard towards. 

If you could, would you do anything differently?

I would have hired a birth photographer.

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

While I was in the birth sling he was pressing the surge button on the tens machine for me when I would tell him to and kept giving me sips of water and reassuring pats on my back and arms.

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

My advice it to train for birth physically & mentally; 

• Learn as much as you possibly can about the stages or labour

• Eat to fuel and nourish your body and your baby

• Mental stamina and calmness will be your best friend, practice meditation and positive birth affirmations

• Learn breathing techniques and practice them before labour as you need to be very familiar with them and not have to think about 

• Learn how to work out where your baby is sitting and do exercises leading up to birth for the optimal baby position (Spinning babies website)

• Don’t listen to or read any traumatic birth stories and focus on the positive stories

• Believe to your core that you can do this and give it your best shot! 

• If you want to be unmedicated focus on the why

• Movement in labour will be your best friend!!

• Make sure you have a solid birth plan in place and the best support people, think about hiring a doula!  It was the best decision I made 🥰

Goodluck Mamas x