Birth Story – Destiny & Patrick
The Birth of Aura
On Tuesday, 30th November at around 5pm, my surges started fairly regularly. I’d been feeling mild cramping sporadically for a few days, so I wasn’t certain that these were the real deal. They gradually became closer together and more intense, my husband spoke to Alison to let her know what was going on. I tried to contain my excitement. We were ready for a long haul, or for them to fizzle out just in case.
Alison had prepared us during our prenatal visits with optimal maternal positioning exercises, which were a beautiful bonding time as a couple. She had also put us onto a great obstetrician who honoured our wish for a natural water birth, so knew we were in good hands.
I took each surge as it came, going limp & releasing all tension, getting down on the floor & flopping up against the bed or the ball or standing and leaning into my husband’s arms. We had my affirmations on repeat in the background, candles lit & just enjoyed the coolness & stillness of the night. I felt so connected to my husband, so calm & at peace.
I could feel the difference between the surges I fought against and the surges I surrendered to. It wasn’t long before I found myself in the rhythm and learnt how to embrace each surge as they came. I got in and out of the bath and shower – I was feeling the surges a lot in my lower back so the warm water was amazing! Best shower I’ve ever had.
We wanted to stay home as long as we could, and I was so happy labouring at home that I didn’t notice how close we were already. Around 12:30am, I got out of the shower and realising my surges were around 1.5-2 minutes apart, we looked at each other and calmly decided it was time. We called Alison to let her know we were heading to the hospital.
I rode the waves in the car kneeling backwards and hanging on to the back seat. Around halfway there I felt my waters break with a distinct popping sensation & a small gush of water. I knew we were close. We arrived at the hospital around 1:30am. It was raining ever so gently, a soft mist of water washed over me & I remember whispering to myself “so good!”. It was so soothing & exactly what I needed.
Alison met us in emergency, where a midwife was also waiting with a wheelchair. It was a long trip from emergency to the birthing suite and I kept needing to stop and drop down on the ground or into my husband’s arms to meet the intensity of my very regular surges. In the lift, I felt baby drop further into the birth canal. I whispered aloud, “the baby is coming, the baby is coming”. Before I’d even gotten through the door of the birthing suite I dropped to my knees in a surge and felt my first involuntary push. My body was pushing baby out.
The midwife insisted on checking me & confirmed I was fully dilated. I hopped straight in the birth pool onto my knees & this is where it all happened. Lights dimmed, battery candles on & my affirmations playing right next to me, with my husband & Alison right by my side.
What happened next was the most intense, incredible & God-glorifying experience I’ve ever had. I could feel my body pushing baby down right to the brink & then releasing back up, this happened over a couple of surges (I think) & I knew it was to stretch my perineum. It was so intense, but I had no desire to fight it, I had to surrender & let my body do what it needed to do. The best way to describe the sensation is this – it felt like my birth canal was vomiting my baby out. You know how sometimes before you vomit, you dry retch, involuntarily, without anything actually coming out? This is exactly what it felt like for me. My body was pushing baby right to the brink, and then relaxing. This may have only happened a few times and then the next time baby’s head reached the bottom of the birth canal and this time stayed there. I could feel a small patch of baby’s head! Baby was crowning.
The whole time I used every fibre of my being to focus on breathing baby down, desperately praying over & over again & repeating the affirmations I could hear playing. One I remember was “I feel strength & confidence, I feel strength & confidence”. I was completely in the zone & went so far within, I don’t even know what was happening around me. All I know is I had completely & utterly surrendered to my body. I have never needed to trust so deeply & truly.
With the next surge I guided baby’s head out with my hand, feeling their soft hair & holding their head instinctively. I was holding my baby’s head! I remember saying “Hi baby! Hi baby!” I don’t think the obstetrician realised it was all happening as he reached down to see where we were at and was shocked to find my hand cradling my baby’s head. The obstetrician then guided me to give a gentle push and out slipped baby’s shoulders and body. Before I knew it I saw my baby for the first time and broke down into uncontrollable tears.
I cradled my baby and cried tears of pure joy, love and gratefulness. I couldn’t believe what had just happened. It was so much more out of this world & incredible than anything I had expected, visualised & prayed for. I had just been broken in two and put back together again, intensity I’d never felt before. I cry every time I think of this moment. Thank you, thank you, thank you. I knew I’d just accomplished something miraculous & out of this world.
The obstetrician prompted me to check whether it was a boy or a girl, I lifted up their cord to find we had a beautiful baby girl. She was born at 2:18am December 1st, within an hour of arriving at hospital.
I laid in the tub, cradling my baby until her cord stopped pulsing. We had our first breastfeed right there. Daddy cut the cord & had some skin-to-skin with our new baby while I gently & easily birthed the placenta. It was right there and ready to come out. I got out of the tub, had a rinse & got into our bed to experience the golden hour – the most amazing few hours of skin-to-skin time with our little miracle. No tearing, just a tiny graze and a whole lot of heavenly glory. Choosing to have Alison by our side was one of the best decisions we made for our birth journey! Alison is an incredibly warm, loving, caring woman & I cannot recommend her beautiful services highly enough. She was there every step of the way to support my husband & I, to empower us, encourage us & help us navigate the path which ultimately led to our dream birth as first-time parents. After baby was born, Alison nurtured me with weeks’ worth of amazing healing meals & completely showered us in love & care. Wow, what an amazing experience it has been. I truly wish every mother could have Alison by their side!
If you would like to chat about what it means to have the support of a doula for your pregnancy, birth or postpartum period, give me a call on 0422 258 771, or: