Baby F: A pregnancy, birth & postpartum journey

"But then at 34 weeks I broke my ankle and was in a cast for 8 weeks. So, it was a very challenging end to my pregnancy"

"Baby F has been a sleeping dream baby. Breastfeeding has been a lot easier second time around"

After an unexpected caesarean with her first baby, this mama planned a VBAC for her second and overcame more than her share of hurdles along the way. A broken ankle, Influenza A, and a breech baby requiring an ECV at a tertiary hospital, just to name a few of the hardships thrown her way.

In the end, beautiful Baby F arrived by another belly birth, welcomed with so much love by this family we've come to know well. It has been an honour to walk alongside them.

The Beginning

Can you give us a bit of backstory about your family life? How many children do you have, what do you do for work, etc.?

(In my family there is) my husband and my son who is 4. I am a Registered Nurse and have 2 fur babies, Lulu and Holly.

What sort of emotions did you experience on finding out about this pregnancy? How did you tell your partner?

I was shocked but not surprised. I only tested because we were going to London in the next 3 days. I just needed to test to get it out of my mind so I could get on with packing. I tested when I was getting my hair done at my best friend’s house, so she found out before my husband. I gave my husband the onesie I gave him when we found out about our first child

How was your pregnancy? Were you well overall? Was there anything that happened that you'd like to share?

This pregnancy was better than my first to begin with, just the usual morning sickness that lasted all pregnancy. But then at 34 weeks I broke my ankle and was in a cast for 8weeks. So, it was a very challenging end to my pregnancy.

Which Wise & Well package option did you choose?

The Birth Prep Package

Did you see any of our Allied Health team during your pregnancy or postpartum?

I saw Liz (Wise & Well Physiotherapist) and Kristy (Wise & Well Nutritionist). I also saw an LC before I left the hospital.

The Middle

How did labour start? Was it spontaneous or were you induced?

I started getting cramps on the Friday but didn’t think anything of it because I was 38+4 weeks, in my mind I was going until 42 weeks. On the Saturday they came on and off but by the afternoon they were getting more regular and I was losing my mucus plug. I messaged Anita and she said to hydrate and go to bed, so I did. I was induced with my first so wasn’t sure what to expect. I was thinking it was just going to come and go for days. Then by 10pm I couldn’t sleep through them anymore. I still hadn’t finished packing my hospital bag. So my husband was doing a mad dash around the house getting the last things I needed.

Did you utilise any pain relief/techniques/strategies during labour? Did it help?

I tried to move as much as I could but with my ankle in a full cast, it made it a bit more challenging. I had read a few different books on hypnobirthing so was trying to use those tools. I had a hypnobirthing soundtrack playing on my headphones. TENS machine and birth combs worked amazing! At the hospital I was able to get in the shower.

How did you feel during labour & birth? Supported? Is there anything that happened that you'd like to share?

I had influenza A when I went into labour so I was already exhausted from having that so by the morning I opted to have an epidural. I ended up having the most amazing midwife at the hospital. She’s the exact person I needed to try and achieve a VBAC. She did everything she could to help me avoid the C Section. Moving me and doing all the Spinning Babies moves to try and get baby F in a good position. She empowered us to be able to make decisions and made us feel like we were in control.

What was the most helpful thing for you during labour and birth? Was there anything your support person did that worked well? Any tips for other mums/partners?

Having a birthing map that the midwives could read and understand our wants and wishes.

How did you feel immediately after your child was born? How was your support person/partner?

At the time I was extremely emotional about having to have another emergency C Section, and I couldn’t stop vomiting. So, it’s all a bit of a blur the first few hours. I had the shakes really badly again which made it hard to do skin-to-skin. I ended up waiting untll I was in recovery for skin-to-skin and the first feed.

The End (AKA The start of your next chapter)

How have you been adjusting to life with your new little person? How has your feeding journey been?

The 1-2 transition has been a lot easier than 0-1. Baby F has been a sleeping dream baby. Breastfeeding has been a lot easier second time around. I was better prepared and made sure my latch was correct before leaving the hospital.

What are your tips you have for other mums for a positive, supported and healthy postpartum journey?

I felt so supported this time around. I had Anita (Wise & Well Midwife), the hospital midwives and MCHN all coming to me (at home). Which was extremely helpful with a broken ankle. Also having Kristy (Wise & Well Nutritionist) explain the importance of nutrition postpartum was great.

Each birth & postpartum experience unfolds differently, go gently.

Please reach out if you would like to discuss your own birth experience with us.