Jaimee + Marli’s Positive Home Birth
Everyone left Arus and I for a moment. We agreed that she suited the name we had kept secret for months and told everyone in the room. We got out of the pool so she could be kept warm enough. I lay down on the floor and she latched on straight away. Arus, still there right by our side. The midwives offered me synthetic oxytocin to help deliver the placenta more quickly but I had thought about this and had it in my birth preferences, I said "let's see if my body can do that too", I was feeling very powerful! Plus, my baby was in my arms enjoying her first feed. Within ten minutes, I felt my final contraction and the placenta came out. Everyone was having a look at it and I loved hearing all the comments about how amazing it was - "the tree of life." We kept it for burial. The whole room was filled with love, all those hours and here she was! I'm still elated by the fact my birth dream came true!
Sarah + Blair’s Positive Home to Hospital Birth
I am so honoured to be able to share the beautiful birth of Sarah’s and her sweet boy Blair. I am forever grateful to all the mamas who are able to share these intimate stories with me on this platform. Sarah’s story I am sure will help others, maybe a mama who is stuck in those agonising days of being ‘over due’, navigating the ‘big baby” dilemma, contemplating home birth or just normalising birth itself! What I love most about Sarah’s story is that her transfer from home to hospital during labour never felt remotely like a “failed home birth” but more like a birth where she felt in-control, supported and calm despite all the twists and turns that came her way.
Heres her story…
Daina + Porter’s Hypnobirth
Tuesday 17th August 12.30am, I woke up and noticed I had a ‘bloody show’, without letting myself get too excited (I’d been wanting her earthside for a good week prior), I said to myself-‘remember, people can have their ‘show’ a good week or even longer to the main event. I went on back to bed, and started getting period like cramps but on a small scale. I didn’t need any strategies here. These went on for an hour, so I thought ‘this may be for real’. I started timing them and they were regular, but at about 5-6 minutes apart. I didn’t sleep from then on and continued in the same fashion up until around about 5am when they begun to slow. I was a little bit annoyed by this because I know people who have had surges (contractions) for days! I got up, told Marty about it all and he excitedly said oh so it’s ‘go time’ then. I had to explain that this could go on for days. He went off to work.