Orianne’s  journey in to the world.

I had a fear of birth and going to Pip’s classes really helped me overcome that fear. I learned a lot even though I didn’t have big expectations of learning much.  After all, I studied anatomy and biochemistry and am a health professional. I was wrong to think I wouldn’t learn much… and wrong to fear birth.

I’m not sure I had the perfect “smiling-calm” birth… but will say that Pip helped me have more confidence in my dealings with an obstetrician who was very, very particular about intervening at the first sign of any issues. That’s his job I suppose, but I had other plans and really wanted to have a completely natural birth from 1st stage all the way to after birth.

Because I was being particular, my obs and I had some big discussions about my birth plan… and this was on-going.

At each appointment he and I were negotiating and compromising a little to come to an agreement. Multiple evidence based publications and papers were presented both ways and discussed at great length.

At 36 weeks, we still weren’t in agreement and my birth plan was still in its final draft stage. My obs went on holiday.

At 37 weeks I lost my mucous plug… and kept bleeding. So we went in to hospital, and got sent home. All was still well. They said the bleeding would stop… which it did but on and off over the next 3 days I bled.

On the 3rd night at midnight I went in to 1st stage labour. I had slight period like cramping and went back to sleep. Between midnight and noon the next day I took 2 essential oil baths(which managed my pain and also slowed progress) and got a back rub from my hubby (Darrell). Rang the hospital at noon, they said if my waters hadn’t broken and if I was not at 4 minutes a part with contractions I should stay home. I had been at 5 minutes apart for an hour at that point, so at 1pm I decided I should go in to hospital for 2 reasons.

My body said I should go and I wanted to set the room up with my essential oils and birth music etc.

By the time we got me and some last minute bits and pieces in to the car and to the hospital it was 1.40pm.

I walked in to the hospital, had a little surge in the hall way, which just involved me bending over and leaning on my knees for a bit and breathing.

Assessed at 2pm, got told I was 4 cm and I would probably have our baby between 8 and 10pm.

At 2.30pm, I felt very strong muscle movements and very frequent too.  I told myself if this is what it’s going to be like for 6 hours I am gonna need some help, so at about 2.30pm I asked for some gas.
Hubby had just got back from unloading the first 2 bags from the car. It was probably 2.40pm at this time I’m guessing?

I was lying on my side and told the midwife” I feel like I need to push ”
Her response “don’t push yet, I just checked you, you’re 4 cm.. you’ll damage yourself”

A few minutes later.. I repeated myself “I reaaaallly feel like I need to push… I think this baby is coming a lot sooner than 8pm“.

I asked Darrell to pass me my fit ball and insisted that I have it ON the bed with me leaning over it and rolling back and forth on it.

The midwife was still slowly moving about the room at this point and hadn’t even read my birth plan which was in one of the bags. Darrell handed it to her, and from then on the midwives really tried to speak with Darrell whenever they needed to communicate with me.

The midwife brought me the gas, and decided to remove my undies to have “a quick look”.

Not sure what she saw or what time it was at this time but I felt her body language and energy change as she suddenly starts moving to prepare her carts etc in a more urgent fashion and rings the stand-by obstetrician and the other senior midwife.

I don’t know when they arrive. Darrell could see I was struggling a little with the intensity and frequency of the surges. I was not prepared for what I thought was going to be another 6 hours of this level of intensity and I started to panic a little.

We had not unpacked ANYTHING. He fumbled through our bags, found my calming music, stuck the headphones into my ears, put some Essential oils on my back and on a tissue to inhale. Between the gas and mostly the essential oils, it kept things going well for me.

Darrell was amazing and calm and massaged back and shoulders as we have done in practice sessions previously.

This calmed me quite a bit and got me back into my zone. 

I also heard a midwife proclaim ” I’ve never seen a birth ball being used like that before!”

It didn’t faze me. It’s what I had been doing at home… and I felt good.

I heard the stand-in ob come into the room and try to introduce himself to me but I didn’t respond as I was in the zone.

I had my eyes closed and was picturing my beautiful baby turning and twisting inside me, making her way out into the world.

Within minutes of my ob introducing himself to me, baby crowned and 2 pushes later she was out.

My waters had broken probably about 5-10 minutes(?) before that during one of my surges.

No one coached me to push, I did it all on my own according to my body’s own rhythm.

Baby Orianne was born at 3.05 pm. 1 hr and 5 minutes after they said I was 4cm!!
Orianne was perfectly healthy with an APGAR of 9…. and ZERO tears or damage to my body! Some slight grazing apparently but that was it!

~Lena