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Hannah

Our family homebirth after one traumatic forceps delivery and one caesarean.

 

The birth of Nola Pearl  was faith filled, peaceful (except for my pushing stage -sorry neighbours ), warm and cozy and full of love 

 

She entered the world just after sunrise in the birth pool situated in the heart of our family living room as the morning light streamed in.

 

Late one Thursday evening, almost a week past her “due” date, contractions started regularly spaced 5 minutes apart.  

 

I tried to sleep and sent the rest of the family to bed.  After two hours of laying down and breathing through them it was clear to me that I wasn’t going to fall asleep.  At midnight I relocated to the couch and positioned myself in the corner leaning over the couch to breathe through each surge.  I awoke Jem to ask him to put the tens machine on underneath my dressing gown and sent him back to sleep.  I continued to breathe through while listening to the Freya App affirmations and using the TENS Machine for another two hours by myself in the quiet of the night.  I checked in with my midwives to let them know that contractions had started and were steadily 5 minutes apart and growing in intensity but that I didn’t feel ready for anyone to come just yet.  I felt happy and calm and enjoyed the dim light of the candles placed around the room and the sweet sounds of Norah Jones playing quietly in the background. I was delighted to be getting breaks between each surge where I could smile,  chat, eat, and move around.  Although the surges were strong and consistently lasting one minute each I still believed I had many hours (possibly days) ahead of me of this.  

 

—At around 2am I woke Jem again and recommended that he start setting things up.  While he pottered around making preparations with the birth pool and cameras, I had a cluster of surges that came 2 minutes apart.  At 4am after observing this pattern for 20 minutes Jem called the midwife to ask her to make her way over to us.  I still was assuming that contractions would stall like they did during my first birth or stop completely with the rising of the sun.

 

At 5am our midwife quietly arrived and things continued to steadily pickup.  

I continued with the tens and horses breath for some time and then decided I was ready to try the shower.  I enjoyed snacking on strawberries, peppermint tea, sausage rolls and water throughout.  In the shower my horses breath became more vocal and I relocated to the birth pool.  The birth pool felt wonderful with the warm water and the surges intensified more.  During a surge I felt a physical popping/drop sensation in my cervix although I still felt like the baby was far off.

 

I moved into the toilet at around 7am feeling the urge to open my bowels and vomit.  At this point our second midwife arrived and I tried to convince everyone that the baby was still not coming even though I was vocalising through each contraction.  After quite a bit of convincing, Jem managed to coach me off the toilet back towards the pool to which I made it halfway down the hall and then stopped against a wall and refused again to get in the pool for a few surges. 

 

A few minutes later I was in the pool and I really felt things shift.  For the first time I felt like I wasn’t in control and that my body was moving involuntarily.   I still did not believe that my baby was coming.  Pretty immediately my surge groans became roars and my body started pushing on its own.  14 minutes later she was on my chest.   The pushing felt like the most intense sensation of my life and it was so surreal to me that I was feeling that sensation for the first time.  With each contraction I found myself converting back to releasing a high pitched scream and then trying to refocus it into a low and deep roar to help my cervix open.  Jem was my rock and reminded me to breathe through every stage of her descent.  And our midwives so gently affirmed me verbally and with their soft touch throughout my doubts and moments I declared I couldn’t do it.  They also gently supported our two children through the whole process as both Finch and Lou had decided they wanted to watch their baby sibling being born 

 

And despite my pained and worried expression in all of these photos.  I was absolutely elated once I felt the feeling of her head and body slipping out.  Overwhelmed and genuinely shocked that I had just birthed our baby at home without intervention.  I attribute most of this to the unwavering support and coaching of our midwives.  What a difference it makes to have care providers who cheer you on during your moments of doubt rather than agreeing with your doubts or advising you that you need help.  I desperately wish that every birthing woman had this kind of support. 

 

Best husband and birth support person: @jemuelwong

For more photos: @thelittleoilymama

 

If you know us personally, then you probably will know how different the births of our 3 children have been.  We are feeling so blessed by God to have had the opportunity to birth our last baby at home and to have had God walk alongside of us the whole time and hold us.  

 

I knew you before I formed you in your mother’s womb.  - Jeremiah 1:5

 

 

A big special thanks to Heidi and Tracy @centralcoasthomebirth for so delicately holding us throughout our antenatal care, the birth and postnatal care.  After having experienced three very different models of care throughout pregnancy and birth- we can confidently say that your level of care is second to none.  This has been an experience that our whole family will treasure for the rest of our lives.  Not only did you so carefully hold space for the birthing mother and the care of our baby but you also fully supported and nurtured the father and children.

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