Hannah and the birth of Penelope
Like a lot of women, I had a traumatic first birth. I was naive and thought the doctor and midwives would know what was best for me and support me. I was induced at 39+5 and at the time we did not know he was posterior. I was in active labour for 23 hrs before the OB told us I had to have an emergency cesarean. He was stressed and there was meconium in my waters. I didn’t get immediate skin to skin as he was taken away immediately because he was stressed. When he did come back to me, he was wrapped up. My first skin to skin was when he was an hour old in recovery. After that birth did not go to plan, it was really important to me to have a natural birth or at least be in control of my next birth. I had heard of Mumma G through Clare, who I have known for a little while.
I found out I was pregnant with Penelope the day after my birthday on 16 April 2020. I contacted Georgina and hit it off immediately. She is so warm, nurturing and very strong about women’s birth rights. I had already planned to see a private OB, a different one to my first birth as my first obgyn had retired. Georgina was seeing me every few weeks for birth conversations and antenatal care had given me some excellent reading materials as well as encouraged me to get answers about my first birth.
After a few appointments, I felt the relationship with my chosen private obgyn was not best for me. Something just wasn’t right. I made the big decision to change OB’s. I was just over halfway through my pregnancy. Georgina helped me to see that I was in control and that I was so strong for listening to my gut and changing. When I first met with my new OB, I felt like I had made the right decision. I told my OB that I was enlisting the help of MummaG and asked her if it would be OK if Georgina was in the birth room with me. There were COVID restrictions in place but they had just been lifted to allow two support people! Yay!
I changed my mind a couple of times and booked a planned cesarean and then cancelled it a couple of weeks before I was due. At 37 weeks and in so much pain after running around after a very active 18mo boy, I needed my baby girl out.
I needed to know when it was happening so my anxiety would be reduced. Although Georgina was able to be in the delivery room with me, she couldn’t perform any midwifery duties in the room due to me having paid for private OB services.
Georgina performed other duties such as helping to advocate for my wishes, helping me to listen to my body and support Chris to support me. It had already been discussed that I would have a balloon catheter inserted for my induction as it would be slower than the prostaglandin gel so as not to tear my scar. Georgina had given me a TENS machine to borrow and had shown Chris how to use it.
We got our last family Santa photos in the morning and then I went to be induced. I was 39+5. I was due on 25 December 2020. Chris and I had discussed that we would call Georgina when things started ramping up. My mum came with me as Chris was doing the dinner/bath/bed routine with our boy. I had a balloon catheter inserted at about 4:30pm by the midwives and the OB came to check it was inserted properly.
I was shown to my room and I was feeling overwhelmed and scared so I called Chris and he came to hospital to stay the night. It felt really uncomfortable, like I had a massive tampon about to fall out and immense pressure made it uncomfortable to sit. I managed to get a bit of sleep and woke up in the night with strong contractions, the midwife gave me morphine and I went back to sleep. At 6:30am we went to the birth suite and had the catheter removed. I was already 3cm. I think I had my waters broken first and I asked for time to try to bring my contractions on naturally. They gave me an hour and by 8am I started having the labour drugs slowly started and increased slowly throughout the next couple of hours.
I didn’t feel anything happening and I remember wondering if I would even have a baby that day. About 10:30am I felt my first strong contraction and was given gas to try to manage. Chris called Georgina for me at 11am as the pain was intense and I needed her support. The midwife wouldn’t stop talking nonsense and I realised I just needed Georgina’s calm words in my ear to get me through.
I had Georgina on my right and Chris on my left. I listened to Georgina remind me that my body knew what to do. She helped me into different positions and gave me the strength to choose how I wanted to birth my baby. I was asked on numerous occasions by the midwife if I wanted to wear a hospital gown but it was one of my birth choices not to and it was really important for me to wear what I was comfortable in.
I remember saying ‘I can’t do this anymore’ and Georgina saying ‘this is transition’ and other things about imagining breathing my baby girl down. I remember not hearing anyone else talking or anything else in the delivery room except hearing Georgina’s and Chris’s supportive words coming into my head. It was as if I couldn’t hear anyone else. I think I had two shots of morphine and gas as my pain relief as it was important that I didn’t have an epidural this time. I remember it feeling really good when I started to gently bear down and breath out Penelope.
I remember thinking, “Wow this sound is coming from me?!” I asked Georgina when I would know it was time to push and she said that I would know when it was right and to listen to my body. The midwife at that time wanted to do an internal to check how dilated I was. I was about 9cm. They were urging me not to start pushing but I had this strong urge to push her down. I was pushing for what seemed like ages and was getting really tired but at 1:35pm Penelope came out so fast and I was in shock when she was placed on my chest. I had a 2nd degree tear and stitches due to how quickly she came out.
I had delayed cord clamping and most of the obs I had done while Penelope was on my chest. I don’t think she left my chest until she was 3hrs old before she got weighed and measured and I had my shower. Georgina showed me how to let Penelope find the breast and I was feeding her in the birth suite! I felt so strong, feminine, and on Cloud 9 after Penelope’s birth.