Ashleigh & Viv’s Birth Story – Her birth was dramatic and intense

I also had a diffuser which light’s up and was roughly 10-12cm. To help with the visualization (I thought).

I used none of these.

The only time the essential oils came out was after the birth when Viv held the bottle under my nose to assist me with my first post birth wee. I’ve never loved him more haha.

In the end it was not the slow labour I was expecting for first baby.

The first time I was aware my labour had started was just after midnight on the 16th of February when I lost the mucus plug and waters broke at the same time.

I called the hospital, and they asked me to come in. We expected them to send us home when we arrived at the hospital but packed the “Go bag” just incase.

In the car on the way to the hospital we watched the contractions go from 1 in 10 minutes to 4 in 10 minutes.

Bub was born by 6:30am

I spent most of my labour trying to arrive at the hospital and get “safe, calm and private”.

The young midwife we were met with had become very focused on “The Mec”. I couldn’t get in the bath until she had checked for “Mec”.

“Mec I thought?? Muk? What’s the big deal? I’m giving birth, of course there is lots of messy muk!”

I was having trouble tolerating the continuous monitoring device. I was also having trouble remaining on my back for them to complete to assessments to confirm the presence of “Mec” and check dilation.

The young midwife escalated to her senior who was amazing. Female centred, empowering, spoke in nurturing tones and had an ability to make the processes and monitoring required by the medical system seem not intrusive. I was able to negotiate a vaginal assessment take place on my side. I negotiated for intermittent monitoring. I was able to get in the bath.

The “Mec” I learnt referred to Meconium. This meant that bub had done a poo and there was a risk that she would swallow it, and this would impact her breathing. This meant an increased amount of medical monitoring and intervention.

Far more medical intervention than I would have liked.

During transition, the medical team of doctors were called in and were talking with me about different monitoring options for bub. Viv and I knew that I was in transition, and I knew that I had started to feel a need to push but the medical team was still talking with me about different monitoring options. During transition I also observed the young midwife we had at the beginning handover to a group of professionals that I had “declined monitoring”. These things really impacted my chi, and the focus on the calm breathing went out the window. The female doctor however was wonderful. She spoke calmly, and with compassion. Demonstrating so much respect and dignity while she knelt down beside me and waited for the contraction to end before talking with me.

The amazing senior midwife then coached me through birthing my baby. She managed to get the continuous monitoring device on me by placing the belt looser around me and only putting one belt. She used language like “you are safe” and worked with Viv and I on the birthing positions so we could remain having connection. She put the babies heart rate over loudspeaker, and we monitored her together.

Bub did become distressed and I did need further assistance from the medical team. My warrior moment became when I consented to vacuum delivery. I knew bub needed to be born and I knew we needed help. The midwife grabbed my hand and I somehow managed to jump up on my feet and make it over to the bed. I gave birth on my back (the last position I wanted to give birth in!) and with episiotomy. This took so much courage.

Bub needed lots of assistance at the time of her birth. She did aspirate on the meconium and needed assistance to breathe on her own. As Viv and I discussed beforehand, he went with bub when she transferred to the NICU, and I told him “I was in safe hands” – which I was. I completely trusted the midwife and doctor who were supporting me.

Bub graduated from the NICU after 36 hours. She was considered a healthy, full term newborn by the time we left hospital 5 days later and is expected to have no long term impacts as result of her birth.

Viv was able to stay with me for the full 5 days following her birth. The doctor and midwife both came and said hello to me on the post-natal ward and debriefed the birth experience with us in compassionate and informative ways.

5 weeks on, we are all doing really well.

Her birth was dramatic and intense, but I wouldn’t describe it as traumatic.

I wanted to give birth with calmness and connection and that’s how she came into the world.