I felt so strong, empowered and absolutely in awe of what I had just done.

Holly’s Birth Story 
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Traralgon, Australia⁠
Nia Rose ⁠
39+3⁠
Natural birth @ hospital. 0 interventions⁠
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After birth trauma resulting from interventions with my two boys (4Y & 2Y) I set my sights on a natural drug free birth early on. I did a private hypnobirthing course with a local private midwife at our home. I did all the things raspberry leaf, dates, accupuncture, acupressure massage and lots and lots of fear release meditations.⁠
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I woke around 3am on 3rd of October, to some mild cramping. I went back to sleep and woke an hour later again from the cramps that were coming in waves, alike period pain. I decided to time them and found them to be 5 minutes apart, lasting 1 minute consistently from the get go. I went back to sleep to get as much rest as possible. I woke for the day about 7am and called my Mum letting her know maybe she could come get the boys so I could hibernate and remain relaxed and warm. I also let the hospital know I was going into labour and preferred a suite with a bath so they could keep some available. Mum arrived and we packed the boys bags, had some breakfast, put the finish touches in my hospital bag and had a cup of tea together. The waves continued but were nothing stopping me from going about my normal morning activities. ⁠
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Mum left about 9:30am and I darkened my bedroom and grabbed a heat pack, ready to rest and let my hormones flow. I was in bed for 3 contractions, they hit hard and fast as soon as I laid down to relax – 2 minutes apart lasting 1 minute. I felt the need to head to the hospital – when you have that whopper contraction you just know! I phoned the ward and let them know I would be coming in to start filling the bath – I live a 30 minute drive away and they told me not to rush. I had a hot shower and my husband put my TENS machine on (wow they are amazing!). We then packed the card and headed off about 10am arriving at the hospital at 1030am (in hindsight I was transitioning in the car). ⁠

I asked my husband to park in the emergency bay at the hospital and get a wheelchair as I didn’t feel I could walk that far at this point. In the few short minutes he took to run in and grab the chair, I could not sit down when he got back. I put my birth bag (full of battery candles, affirmation cards, fairy lights, oils) on the wheel chair and utilised the handles of the chair to push it and bear my weight as the surges came hard and fast, only being able to take a few steps between each one. Just in the main entrance of the hospital my body and my baby began activating the fetal ejection reflex and I knew she was coming by the sounds coming from me that were uncontrollable.

My husband didn’t register how close she was due to his experience in my previous births – he thought she was still hours away! Two midwives were heading out to get a coffee and came running over asking if I were Holly – they had just finished preparing my suite. It was a combined effort of my husband and 2 midwives to get me up to the Ward, as this point my legs wanted to collapse under me and my body just wanted to birth.

We made it onto the Ward, with my suite being still so far away when pointed out and I just wanted to deliver in the hallway at this point. We made it a few steps in the door of our suite, the birth bag was flung across the room unopened, and the midwife asked if it was okay she removed my pants and then my waters ruptured. A quick check with the Doppler of baby’s heart rate, all perfect, and my midwife asked me if I would be comfortable to move from a standing to kneeling position to protect my previous 3B tear. I moved onto all 4s, knees in, calves out and my Nia was born at 10:59am. My husband was still holding his sunglasses from walking in out of the car when she was delivered! In the moment I felt so strong, empowered and absolutely in awe of what I had just done. I can do anything. My birth with Nini completely healed my previous birth trauma.