3rd time ‘lucky’: The peaceful, gentle and beautiful arrival of Amelia Eve!
After two less than fantastic hospital birth experiences, which had left me both physically and emotionally traumatised, before I even knew I was pregnant with our third child, I knew that we would plan to birth at home.
So when I got that second line, it was barely a few days before I’d arranged to meet up with a local independent midwife and set out on the journey towards homebirth. After meeting her and asking about a million questions, we hired her!
First trimester brought nausea and vomiting, as well as extreme exhaustion! Not easy with two older children and a husband who worked away! At 17 weeks, I finally had relief from the vomiting and began to really enjoy watching my belly grow and feeling the little life inside me stir. The pregnancy was smooth and uneventful, and soon I found myself in third trimester, each day a day closer to meeting my baby. Towards the end of the pregnancy I found things becoming increasingly difficult again – I was more tired and many things were more physically challenging and uncomfortable (such as sleep!). I looked forward to my husband coming home to look after me!
My husband got home on his official leave when I was 38+2 weeks pregnant, and we spent the coming weeks hanging out, relaxing, and enjoying each other’s company (most of the time) as a family of four. My ‘due date’ came and went, as I’d expected it would. Then 41 weeks came and went, and I did start getting a little bit impatient! I tried to fill my days seeing friends, shopping, crafting and doing things I knew I might not have the chance to do for a while after baby arrived!
On the day I was 41+2, I organized a relaxation massage and some acupressure. That night, I had a bath and spoke to my baby, letting him/her (we didn’t know!) know we were ready to welcome them into our family, and how excited we all were to meet them! My motto to baby/myself had become “I love you. I trust you. This birth will happen when it is meant to. This birth will happen how it is meant to”. After the bath, my husband went to bed (about 8.30) but I decided to stay up a little longer and do some nipple stimulation/hand expressing in the hopes that it might get something going, or if not, I’d have some colostrum stored up if necessary!
It wasn’t long after that I did start getting some tightenings, though I was still convinced they were probably just Braxton Hicks. I decided to go and rest just in case tonight was the night, so at 9.30 I went to bed. But…I couldn’t sleep! The tightenings were quite regular – I ended up timing them when I couldn’t sleep and they were consistently around 5 minutes apart, lasting about 45 seconds, but very mild. I kept trying to sleep. At 10.30pm I woke up my husband and told him I thought it might be happening during the night or sometime in the next 24-48 hours, and asked if he wanted to set things up (we had to move around some furniture and bring the birth pool into the room etc) or risk me waking him up and having to do it in a hurry whenever things picked up. He opted to get up, so we went around getting things ready and organized.
Contractions were still happening around every 5 minutes, lasting 45 seconds and not really increasing in intensity. So I thought there was a way to go. This continued all through the night, never getting closer or stronger, not really getting any more intense.
At around 4.45am I decided to have another shower while Luke wandered around still sorting out other stuff. I called the photographer first to give her the heads up but not to hurry as things weren’t really ramping up but I thought it might be that day because they weren’t stopping either.
Then my waters broke! And WOW did things get intense! I got Luke to call the photographer and the midwife and tell them to come! Contractions were instantly much more intense and much closer together. I got out of the shower and onto the bed on my hands and knees.
My mum came around and got the kids who were already awake. She said a quick hello and good luck and then it was just Luke and I!
I was beginning to struggle with the intensity of the contractions, and Luke was still busy filling the pool. But I just buried my face in the pillows and swore (lol), then tried to breathe and relax through the very short breaks in between! I soon began feeling pressure, but didn’t want to go to the toilet in case it wasn’t a poo causing it (which turned out to be a good thing!).
I was desperate to get in the pool by that stage, so Luke rang the midwife who was still 10 minutes away, and kept her on speakerphone as I got in the pool and immediately allowed myself to follow my body’s instincts to push (where previously I think I’d been holding back, waiting for Luke and for the pool!). It was all consuming and very intense – I felt baby descend, and then the stinging and stretching of the head emerging! The midwife arrived and started taking some photos since the photographer was still on her way!
Three minutes after the midwife arrived, at 5.53am, our baby girl slipped out into the water, and then straight into her mummy’s arms! We spent time blissfully getting to know each other in the pool. Haylee and Matthew were brought back (half an hour after they left!) to meet their new sister, Amelia, and everyone was just so relaxed and thrilled. It was beautiful!
The photographer then arrived, followed soon after by the backup midwife. The student midwife had arrived after the birth but was waiting outside as I’d requested minimal people in the room after the birth so we could bond without interruptions. I got out of the pool, birthing the placenta as I stood, then snuggled in bed with my precious new girl, while I was brought food and drinks.
I really couldn’t have asked for it to be more perfect! Yes, most of my support team didn’t make it, and the one who did made it with just minutes to spare, but there was no time I felt afraid or that I couldn’t do it. There was only one time I said I couldn’t do it, but I WAS doing it! And I DID do it!
My baby got the peaceful, gentle and beautiful start to life that I so dearly wanted for her and for me, and as soon as I pulled her out of the water I loved her so completely! She has completed our family and is such a blessing in our lives.
Her birth was amazing, empowering, healing and beautiful and I will never forget it! What an amazing start to motherhood (third time around)
“Reading Katrina’s book { A Modern Woman’s Guide to a Natural Empowering Birth} helped me to know that even if my birth didn’t go “to plan”, it could still be beautiful and empowering, unlike my previous births. I loved the positive affirmation cards too, particularly on days where doubts or fear crept in a little, and in those final days of my pregnancy when I was just waiting for my baby to be ready. I had them on my “birth altar” to look at and read whenever I needed.”
Witness Jen’s beautiful slideshow of belly to baby here
Homebirth of Amelia Eve
Kindly shared by Jen Shipston, 3rd time mother (Australia)
