Baby: Mackenzie Cate Timm

EDD: 17/1.

Delivered: 12/1

Doula: Jade Van Dijk

Birth plan: water birth using hypnobirth techniques with help from partner and doula

I woke up around 7am January 11th with mild surges. I messaged Jade and she told me to go about my day and ‘do life not labour’. I managed to ignore them for most of the day and had my show. Come 7pm the surges really started to ramp up. My partner Nic, messaged Jade to tell her I was starting to struggle coping with them. While waiting for Jade we set up candles and my hypnobirth tracks to get me into a good relaxation state.

She came around 10pm when it hit the hardest. We kept moving and did a lot of exercises to help with them. 2.30am comes around and they get stronger and closer together. We head to the hospital. 2cm dilated. Bugger! We decided to go home with some panadene forte to help me sleep. Jade went home for some rest while we waited it out a bit longer.

Jade came back around 7am with a TENS machine as I was struggling again. All while my partner Nic the poor thing was trying to get some rest, but kept getting woken up by my groans. Poor thing! He was so amazing though. Jade and Nic kept me focussed for a good hour until my breathing started changing and I started to get into a relaxed, doey state. We headed back to the hospital this time for good at 8.30am. My cervix was only 3cm dilated, but fully effaced which was great.

We utilised the bath and the shower to help manage these strong surges as well as my Hypnobirthing Australia relaxation tracks. I opted for morphine at around 10.30am as I was really tired and needed some rest. The morphine really helped me relax and get back into my zone, as did Jade and Nic.

Another exam at 12.30 saw me at 5cm. YAY, active labour. Jade and Nic continued to help with the shower until the morphine wore off and kept me eating and drinking. 2.30 and I needed more relief. I felt like I couldn’t go on and considered the epidural, but Nic and Jade helped me regain focus. They helped me remember my plan. We opted for the gas. And, my God was the gas a life saver. It saw me through until I was ready to push. I managed to get back into the zone completely.

My waters broke between 3.30 and 4pm. They broke while I was in the bath mid surge. I’ll never forget the POP. The surges really ramped up at this point and I felt the need to push a poop out. It wasn’t painful, but there was so much pressure. They checked my dilation and I was 10cm! How!? That was so quick. However, a cervix lip was in the way so I couldn’t push just yet.

Jade and Nic helped me get into positions to help the lip move and thin out. By 5pm I was still bearing down, making instinctive noises. The midwife checked me again and it was definitely time to start pushing. We got back in the water and it began. The pressure was intense and a little stingy. Jade and Nic kept me supported with strong affirmations, a cool cloth and our grounding hypnobirthing anchor touch. I pushed for approximately 25 minutes.

Our beautiful baby was caught by the midwife and handed directly to me. Nic and I were crying and crying. He cut the cord after it finished pulsating. Jade captured our first moments together as a family. I finally did it. We did it. My birth support team and my hypnobirth classes really pushed me through when I felt like I couldn’t go on.

I didn’t require a single stitch either. Since then all the midwives on the ward have told me how amazing my birth was and how amazing I was. Everyone was so proud of me.

The midwives at the hospital were amazing and helped my birth support team encourage me forward. My amazing birth team, including the midwives should be just as proud of themselves. I wanted to give up so many times and without them and their belief in me, I couldn’t have done it I don’t think.

I feel so empowered as a woman. What a perfect birth!”