We are excited to introduce you to our beautiful little girl Harper. Born via planned c section on the 18th of April.
I was nervous about another c section after my eldest daughter’s birth ended in an emergency c section. VBAC was on the cards but after careful consideration with my obstetrician and amazing midwife we decided that a c section was the safest way because of the close gap between pregnancies, the scar tissue left over from a uterine infection, and my baby was a wriggler who was constantly flipping from breech to transverse to head down and back again.
As strange as it sounds I actually preferred this option. That didn’t mean I was completely fearless though! So I downloaded the Cesarean Birth Bundle and listened to the Fear Release straight away. My biggest fear was having the spinal anaesthetic.
I spoke with my midwife and student midwife about bringing my iPod into theatre and listening to the Affirmations while they performed the spinal, and they encouraged me to do it. As the day approached I decided to ramp up my preparation and created a visualisation board with affirmations and ultrasound photos. This really helped me focus and allow myself to go into a state of hypnosis when I chose to. And then the big day came. I sat on my hospital bed and listened to the affirmations track.
Honestly there was part of me that was still nervous for what was about to happen. On the way up to theatre I went deep within myself and actually used my surge breathing to stay calm. The anethtist wasn’t to keen on me listening to my iPod but my student midwife advocated on my behalf and I was allowed to bring it in while they did the spinal. I listened to the beginning of Butterfly Garden and tuned out the the distractions going on around me. I remember feeling ambivalent about the birth. I was about to become a mother again, which filled me with joy and uncertainty at the same time. I cried one single tear as I said goodbye to my old life as I was ready to start this next chapter.
Next thing I knew my midwife gently told me it was all done and to lay back. That was a shock! So I was prepped for surgery and my husband Scott came in. He was actually stressed out because he thought they’d started without him! And because I was so relaxed I calmed him down, which is kind of a reversal of roles haha! We were talking away to each other as if we were having a relaxed meal together and the next thing I hear is a cry. I wondered what it was and then I realised it was our beautiful baby. The drapes were lowered and I got to see that we had a girl!
Our hospital policy doesn’t support immediate skin to skin in theatre but once I got to recovery we had skin to skin and our first breastfeed. It was beautiful.
My midwife was the same one who went through my first labour and c-section birth, and she was in awe at how calm I was this time around. She also said that it was one of the easiest and straightforward c sections she’s seen.
My reocovery was 100 times better than my emergency c section. I’m still surprised at how little pain I was in and how quick and easy it was for me to move around. It was a very cathartic and healing birth. The best thing about it is I finally got the calm and positive birth experience I had always wanted, and much to my surprise it was a caesarean birth that gave me that.
Now I truly understand what you mean when you say that babies know the safest way out.
Much love,
Tanya, Scott, Adalin and Harper x
Here’s a picture of our first breastfeed at just one hour old.
