I didn’t have much of a birth plan but I knew I wanted my birth to have as minimal intervention as possible.
At my 37 week appointment, my midwife discovered I had high blood pressure. I knew that I would need to be induced and was worried about what this would mean for my birth.
On 24 May I was admitted to Warragul hospital for cervical ripening to start the induction process. It wasn’t until the morning of the 26th that my cervix was favourable enough for the midwife to be able to break my waters.
My waters were broken at 7am that morning, I then ate breakfast and Lach and I chatted with our beautiful midwife and student midwife as they prepared all documentation for the day. I knew my midwife from when I had my placement at Warragul Hospital and was comforted to know I was in great hands.
As I was induced, I had to be connected to an IV and foetal monitor for the entirety of my labour. I felt frustrated at the thought of being restricted and not able to move about freely.
As my contractions began, I felt I needed to be upright during each tightening. I read that the gravity helps move your baby down and I thought of this throughout my entire labour, ensuring gravity was in my favour with every position I took.
My contractions started at 9:50am and I couldn’t sit through the pain and would stand with every contraction, resting on the bed in between. They started to become more intense and closer together, so I got on my knees and rested my arms over the medicine ball, swaying my hips side to side.
I then decided I wanted to get in the shower.
My midwives were so supportive of me and called the obstetrician so they could connect an internal foetal monitor. This would allow me to get in the shower and move about freely.
However, I was dreading having it attached. I would have to lay flat on my back for them to insert it under the skin on hazels head. I waited until the end of a contraction and rushed everyone to connect it before my next (which was difficult, as my contractions were already pretty close together). Once inserted I got up as quick as I could, continuing to listen to my body and sway and move with every contraction.
Once in the shower, I felt so much relief! There were 2 shower heads, so I stood with one running over my shoulders and down my back while Lach held the other one right where the contractions pinpointed. I was also insanely thirsty for my entire labour and Lach thinks he filled up my 1-litre drink bottle around 8 times!
For around an hour and a half, I stayed in the shower, sipping on my water and resting on a shower chair in-between contractions.
Eventually, I was having no break between them and since at this point had only been in labour for around 2 hours, I remember thinking to myself ‘how can I continue like this for 20 hours more?!?’.
I asked my midwife to order me the epidural.
From tracing my contractions and seeing how strong and close together they were my midwife asked to check to see how dilated I was first. I agreed, however, thought I would only be around 4cm…
I was already 8cm! I insisted on her still ordering the epidural even though she told me the hard yards were over and we likely wouldn’t have time…
After getting out of the shower my contractions were so much more painful. Lach said looking back that was the hardest part of the labour, as I was visibly in so much pain.
In between contractions, I would breathe really deeply, and I felt Hazel’s head moving down with every breath. I wanted so bad to keep my legs together, but my body was telling me to open them. As I sat up on my knees with my legs wide apart, I felt Hazel move even lower and the pain changed.
I remember asking the midwives for help. They offered me morphine, which I was reluctant to take as I wanted to be totally with it when my baby girl arrived. However, the pain was so intense at this point with no breaks that I decided to take them up on it.
Almost instantly after receiving the morphine injection, I asked my midwives what it will feel like when I need to push. They told me it would feel like ‘you need to do a big poo’. I thought to myself, I don’t feel like that at all…. But I knew she was there and ready. I said “I think I need to push, but I’m not sure…”
I got on my back and started pushing, holding both Lach and my student midwives’ hand. As I pushed, I was just watching her face and saw as it absolutely lit up and she said, “Your baby’s head is right there!”. This was the biggest motivation for me and with every push, her eyes would widen and tell me how much of an amazing and effective job I was doing.
It is a memory I will never forget and I wish I could tell her today just how much strength she gave me!
I reached down and felt my babies head and I remember saying “she doesn’t have any hair!” and laughing with Lach. After 40 minutes of pushing and Hazel’s head crowning with my last few pushes, the doctor told me they would have to cut me.
I consented and was actually relieved to hear this as I knew she wasn’t going to fit and I thought it was either tear or be snipped.
In the middle of my next big push, they snipped me the tiniest bit, but it was the loudest thing I’ve ever heard. It sounded like a wire being cut by pliers! As soon as there was that little bit more give, Hazel came straight out, and I pulled her right up onto my chest.
She didn’t cry as soon as she was born, which freaked me out as I thought something was wrong. I kept rubbing her back and asking if she was okay. Everyone assured me she was perfectly healthy, but I was so worried. Babies always cry in the movies! The doctor squeezed her little leg and she let out a big cry. I was so relieved and grateful, Lach now tells me they only did that so that I would calm down and Hazel was fine.
I spent the next 2 hours with Hazel on my chest, soaking her all up.
I was so shaky, probably a mixture of both adrenaline and the morphine, and just kept saying, “she’s perfect, I can’t believe I actually did it”. But oh boy was I hungry! I felt like I had just completed a triathlon!
As I lay, getting stitched up, with Haze on my chest, I downed an entire packet of chips and a choccy bar - living my absolute best life.
My entire labour and delivery was just 3.5 hours long. I still cannot believe that I did it!
Hazel Delilah Smith
born 26/05/2020 at 1.15pm 3.44kgs and 50cm long
Women’s bodies are so very amazing. I urge all mummas to be out there to just listen to your body. When I truly tuned in to myself, I knew what I needed to do, as will you.
Hazels birth really was the best day of my life and I’d love to live through it all again. It already feels like a lifetime ago. I had such a positive experience and my midwives were absolutely amazing. It really is true that you forget about all the pain as soon as you hold your baby in your arms.
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