Our Positive Caesarean Rainbow Baby!

Eryn and Andrew completed our Positive Cesarean Birth Course in preparation for their rainbow baby, Oscar. Here is their beautiful birth story… Melissa x

We arrived at the hospital at 6.15am, after a fairly restless night sleep from excited anticipation. We were booked in and showed to the Day Surgery waiting room, where a number of other women waited for various procedures. Slowly but surely, the waiting room emptied, leaving Andrew and myself the last to be summoned. This irked me greatly, as I’m not one who likes to wait for things. I repeated my personal mantra, ‘calm, relaxed, happy healthy baby,’ in my head and practiced some karate (11 years of training and it’s a natural way for me to dispel nervous energy) through the empty hallways.

Finally, at 9.30am, we were summoned to the second waiting room where it was explained that a busy time of year and several emergency C-sections had pushed back our delivery. This turned out to be a small blessing, as I was suddenly overcome by the fact that I was now only a step away from major surgery, and it was good to have some time to adjust to my new surroundings and sink into relaxation. Andrew was told take the opportunity to have some lunch, while I busied myself changing into the hospital gown and filling out the last of the paperwork.

Before long, Andrew returned from lunch and I expressed how jealous I was. Having been fasting since midnight, I was so hungry, and unbelievably thirsty. Another forty-five minutes passed, and then all of a sudden, I was ushered onto a bed and taken to the anaesthetic room. Everyone was very friendly, and helped keep my nerves at bay. The IV was placed, I was walked through the spinal procedure, and was assured that I would have a lovely view during the birth.

They didn’t lie, there was a beautiful jacaranda tree just outside, and lots of lovely natural light. This was very calming. They administered the local, then the spinal. I’m used to playing with cats and their sharp accidental claws, so the feeling of a miniscule scratch was nothing. They then laid me down and almost immediately, I felt warm and tingly in the legs, slowly losing feeling. This was the part that concerned me the most – I don’t like lack of control, and not being able to twitch a toe at my command scared me. I breathed, focused on Andrew and his soft touch massage on my arm. There were a few instances where nausea disrupted my peace, but the anaesthetist was incredibly quick about ensuring I didn’t suffer long.

Before long I had lost all feeling up to my chest, and felt quite calm about it. They tested my sensitivity with ice, put the curtain up, and we engaged in a distracting discussion about whether I would take a million dollars today, or ten million in five years. This was something I asked Andrew to do to help keep me from living in my head and freaking out. I chose the ten million.

I turned to my mantra once more, and then listened to the soft conversation as one of the attendants beside me told Andrew that they were ‘right in there and it would be very soon’. This surprised me – it had been mere minutes since they started, and I had expected, nay feared, the feeling described by so many as ‘rummaging around’. I had felt nothing so far. Having jinxed myself, I felt someone push hard on the top of my stomach, which was mildly uncomfortable. And then…

Oscar Alexander was born!! They pulled his head out first, and allowed him to cry a moment and adjust to his surroundings, untouched while they lowered the curtain so Andrew and I could see. Having never heard my first baby boy cry, that innocent, amazing sound of Oscar giving his first cry was literal music for my soul.

My Obstetrician then pulled him out and placed him straight on my chest for skin to skin, cord uncut as discussed. I can’t describe the emotion, I almost couldn’t believe that the tiny little life inside me was actually a tiny little human, and actually mine. They took him briefly at one point, Andrew in tow, and weighed him. He was six pound even, or 2.74kg, and 47.5cm long. Teeny tiny in comparison to my first. He was quickly placed back onto my chest and remained there as I was taken to recovery. He latched on to the breast almost immediately, and remained suckling for and hour and a half.

Oscar is the most amazing baby, though I’m terribly biased. He’s a fantastic sleeper, a total boob fanatic, and overall a happy, curious little soul. I have no doubt his big brother Noah sent him to us to help us heal.

I can’t recommend the Positive Caesarean Course, or Hypnobirthing in general, highly enough. It helped keep myself, my husband and Oscar incredibly calm in an otherwise emotionally stressful situation and I’m eternally grateful.”