"Seeing Isabella for this first time outweighed everything I’d ever done; opening nights in Sydney, parts in shows, there’s nothing like it - its incredible".

I had a prolonged pre-labour. So much so, that at times I felt as though I was making the whole thing up.

For the three weeks prior to the birth I was having labour pains nearly every night. I was still working a 30-hour week instructing pilates. I’d come home from work and from about 8pm onwards, it was as though I was in labour. My husband and I were counting the minutes between contractions and although at times they were getting closer and more intense, nothing seemed to be progressing. I was thinking, yeah right, this is never going to happen.
Then I had what I thought were my waters breaking. It was some form of release of fluid but as it turned out my waters were still in tact. My obstetrician thought it might have been a release of "hind water," the fluid that sits outside of the amniotic sac within the womb.
At this stage, the baby had not engaged, even though she had been positioned head-down since 26 weeks. I could feel the pressure of her head against my cervix as though she was trying to move into position. But my cervix hadn’t opened.

Weight Gain

I was huge. I had put on 18 kg. My normal weight fluctuates between 50-55 kg. Just before the birth I was 77 kilos - quite something considering my small frame - and 7lbs of this I gained within the last 10 days. I was told that once you reach gestation, it is common to put on weight rapidly.
Most of my extra weight was fluid. When I went to have scans they had trouble getting a clear image of her on the screen.
When I first went to hospital I spent the night attached to the foetal monitor. I was registering contractions but they weren’t close enough, or at a high enough interval, to be considered full stage labour.
My obstetrician was concerned that my baby had a big head thought to be in the 90 percentile. I have such a small frame yet my baby was expected to weigh between 8.5 – 9 lbs.
Because of this, they decided to book me in to be induced the next week leaving me the weekend to go into labour. I never did. Still my baby hadn’t engaged.
After the first induction at 9am, nothing happened. I was walking round the maternity ward feeling like I was in the wrong place at the wrong time.
The following induction at 1pm triggered the second stage of labour. It was three hours before I went into full-on contractions.

Sensation

It was more pain than I had ever imagined. Nothing could ever have prepared me for this! I could dance on my toes for 12 hours a day with bleeding feet, but nothing compared to the intensity of what I was feeling. I couldn’t speak. I was completely in shock.
It was the biggest shock to find out that I could not control the pain.
Then I discovered how bad I was at breathing! As a pilates instructor having spent years concentrating on how to breathe and teaching other people how to breathe, I was unable to do it!
The sensation was as though I could feel my cervix and pelvis expanding. It encompasses you – your whole lower body is involved – totally all consuming.
Being watched while going through such pain was quite difficult. I am such a control freak and here I was with an audience at such a weak moment. Brendan (husband) went to massage my back but the sensation was tenfold – phenomenal.
When my obstetrician (who was lovely) tried to examine me, I was crawling away from him. It seemed a total invasion of privacy.
It felt completely uncomfortable and I was totally self-conscious
Then my obstetrician announced that I had only dilated half of what I supposed to have. He suggested an epidural.
We made a deal. He was to come back at 8pm to check my progress and we’d go from there.
For me the thought of having a needle in my spine and being numb was horrifying. I also knew some possible side effects could be lower back pain. I bawled.
When they tried to insert the needle in-between the contractions, I had to pull my knees to my chest. Normally this would be easy but with a huge belly it was near impossible.
Within two or three minutes, the epidural took effect. From then onwards it was party time. It was fabulous. I was yacking my head off and watching the tennis. Leyton Hewitt was playing. The graph was reading that I was contracting but I could only feel a minimal amount of sensation.
When my obstetrician returned, I was still only 2cm dilated. I should have been at least 8cm. It had been a long day. I was quite emotional and low in energy.

Caesarean

My obstetrician felt the safest and most positive option was a Caesarean.
He reasoned that I could have gone on like this for days and even then there was no guarantee that it would not culminate in a Caesarean.
Feeling momentarily defeated, I cried at the thought of having to hand over the control of my birth to someone else.
It was as though I didn’t get the chance to do my job. I had been set on having a normal labour. I knew a Caesarean was always a possibility but it definitely wasn’t in my equation. You always like to think that you are going to make it your own.
The biggest thing or me was that I wasn’t going to be totally present in the birth.
The three of us (my husband and mother) talked it through. The baby’s size, along with the failure to progress, was the determining factor.
My obstetrician called in his team and I was taken to theatre. During the Caesarean, I was aware of the movement and incision but it felt more like a finger stroking across my belly than a knife cutting. There felt no pain.

Isabella

Within 25 minutes Isabella was born. Brendan cut the umbilicial cord, the paediatrician carried out the Apgar test then yelled out that she was the most perfect baby.
She was the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen. Seeing Isabella for this first time outweighed everything I’d ever done; opening nights in Sydney and Melbourne, my first principle lead role, there’s nothing like it - its incredible.
A feeling you’ll never forget.

Hindsight

After the Caesarean, I thought, ‘what was I ever worrying about’.
The next day my obstetrician told me that if I had been giving birth before Caesars were an option, I definitely wouldn’t have survived and we would have been lucky if Isabella would have made it as well. She would have got stuck in the birth canal.

With hindsight my prolonged pre-labour may have been a combination of my muscles not wanting to give and my baby being a bit lazy or perhaps tired.
My theory is that having been a dancer for 18 years, and constantly having to draw up my pelvic floor muscles, maybe my muscles were so used to being contracted that they refused to give. It’s almost as though I should have spent the pregnancy working at relaxing these muscles. Ironic really.

Isabella Edwards was born at 11.25 on the 25th July 2001 weighing 8 1/2 lbs and was 48cm long.

Katy and Isabella

Recovering from Caesarean

Katrina’s Story

Katrina began dancing when she was four years old and has danced professionally for 18 years. She has appeared on stage in both Sydney and Melbourne in Phantom of the Opera, Showboat, Beauty and the Beast, My Fair Lady, West Side Story and was the principal role in Showboat. She is now a fully-qualified pilates instructor in Melbourne. Isabella was born by Caesarean Section when Katrina was 33.

The First 10 Days

For the first five days I was in a state of wonder, thinking, ‘Wow I have just given birth to a little human being’.
Somehow I was overwhelmed with happiness yet I could also cry at the drop of a hat. I guess my hormones were all over the place.
I spent a week in hospital before going home and was encouraged to move about and to not just lie around in bed.
Two days after the Caesarean I was up and able to have a shower. I needed help sitting up and getting in and out of bed. Bending down and picking things up was also problem.
I was taking panadol and digesics for ten days to ease the pain.
In hospital they give you a routine of Kegel exercises that are very basic pilates exercises to strengthen the abdominal muscles. From the third day onwards I began gentle exercises two to three times a day. My abdominal muscles had separated which is quite common. The muscles pull apart and if you don’t do any recuperative work they will not mend.

Mastitis

Two days after came home from hospital I got mastitis. My nipples were badly cracked. When Isabella was sleeping my nipples would scab but as soon as she began suckling, the wounds would re-open. The pain was excruciating.
It was so unbelievable to the point that I dreaded every feed. Her sucking rhythm was so strong but as it turned out, she was latching badly. Around the tenth day, my health nurse made a couple of simple adjustments.
I was put on a mild antibiotic to clear the inflammation and I took an herbal tea and naturopathic pills I had prescribed by a naturopath. The mastitis cleared within a few days. But I was achy, headachy and feeling very run down. I felt so raw.

The first 10 days were unbelievably difficult.
The honeymoon period was over, I had the bub and was on my own, feeling overwhelmed by the enormous responsibility. This baby in my arms was totally depending on me for its survival. Everything is so new. In hospital you’ve had nurses at your disposal and someone to say it is fine and help you put that baby to sleep. When you are at home by yourself and your baby is crying you think, I’ve rocked her, burped her, fed her and changed the nappy, and done it all over again and yet she is still crying.

If you can imagine that, combined with being post-op, post-Caesar, incredibly tired and run down, it’s a really difficult time. It all becomes a really sensitive issue. And often you feel you’re on he edge of postnatal depression. It’s also hard for the father because the first few weeks are very much about mother and bub.

After the initial 10 days, I began feeling that each day I was making progress. I was getting stronger and felt more on top of the situation.
You begin to trust yourself and feel a sense of independence.

Beyond the First 10 Days

From 10 days onwards I began walking a couple of times a day for 10-15 minutes with baby Isabella. This activity played an integral role in my recovery and regaining my strength. Within three weeks I returned to work.
At my six-month check my doctor gave me the okay to do everything.

Scar

My scar seemed to take ages to heal. It felt tender for a long time, as much as five or six months.

Weight Loss

I lost 11 kilos in first 6 weeks and I still had seven kilos to go. I breastfed for four months. When I returned to work I was night feeding only.

The process varies for everybody. I knew another women who just couldn’t budge the weight even though she was so active and disciplined about her exercise. She was still breastfeeding and it was as though her body was holding stocks.

Returning to Work

The first week back at work was demanding, as it was my weekend for certification. For the first time in my life I had no awareness or strength in lower body. It was frustrating - such a different experience.
I napped every afternoon while Isabella was sleeping. Rest played a huge part of my recovery process.
I am convinced the reason I recovered so quickly was that I started doing basic tummy work each day. As I was doing the exercises, I imagined that I was knitting my abdominals together from the outside in.
I had also swum up until the birth, alternating freestyle with kick boarding laps of the pool.

 Julia is 32 weeks pregnant with twins. At the age of 37, she already has two boys under five years. Her eldest Patrick is 4 1/2 and her youngest Marcus is just 22 months old. The fact that she is considered an "older" mum expecting twins places her pregnancy in the high-risk category.
The following interview highlights the various concerns facing Julia during her multiple pregnancy.

"To me it’s like going into a rodeo, you just have to hang on for the ride", says Julia, contemplating the prospect of being a mother to four children under the age of five.

Was choosing to have children later in life a conscious decision? Yes, it was a conscious decision. For us it was a lifestyle choice. We liked our lifestyle and were interested in travel and further study.

Have you a history of multiple births in your family?

No. However, being in the 35 – 40 age bracket increases the likelihood of a multiple birth pregnancy to 1/60.

Do you think there are any significant disadvantages in delaying parenthood?

Yes. I think you get tired more easily as you get older which makes it generally much harder. As a younger person it’s difficult to appreciate the risks associated with delaying pregnancy and childbirth. Issues such as infertility, disabilities and the prospect of a more difficult labour are of more concern to women in the 35 - 40 age bracket. These issues are not appreciated until one finds oneself in that particular circumstance, as has happened to a number of people I know.

How are you coping being pregnant with twins?

Not particularly well. I just feel so heavy and tired. I find getting around much more difficult.

Has your pregnancy affected your relationship?

I have felt really frustrated at times that my partner has not appreciated how hard it has been. Initially he didn’t realise how low in energy I was and the full impact of the pregnancy on my body. At times I even felt resentful towards him.

How has your experience differed from previous pregnancies?

The minor problems I had in my previous pregnancies have been worse this time around.
Women who are pregnant with twins can expect to gain as much as 20-25 kg. I’ve gained 12-14 kg so far with most of it going on in front, so it can be really awkward to get about.
The extra weight has also placed huge pressures on my pelvic floor and ribs, and I’ve suffered backache.
It’s like being hugely unfit, just walking up the driveway takes me a minute to recover. I wouldn’t wish it on anyone.

Have you any significant worries or fears in relation to the health and birth of the twins?

I’m a little less blasé than I was with Marcus (her youngest son). I don’t know what is in store - it’s a little more unknown. But I know I’ve got to do this, I’ve got to get on and do it.
Difficult labour is not something I really worry about.
I guess I’m mostly concerned about the first few days – how to cope, manage and adjust. Taking them home is extremely daunting especially with Marcus being so young. Marcus to me is still a baby, he still needs to be picked up and held, and that won’t change until he’s at least three. I’m not really looking forward to post-delivery; it’s bewildering.

Have you made any significant changes to your lifestyle?

Yes, my lifestyle has changed considerably. I’m not working at the moment and have moved home with my parents for the time being.
I consider the non-physical issues of this pregnancy to be as significant for me as the physical. I feel worried that people will see me as 'just a mother' with a tribe of young children and this implies to me that I somehow have less social value/standing. This is something I am still working on.

How are you adjusting to the idea of becoming a mother of four?

Changing your own perception of yourself, from career oriented/professional to 'mother', can be difficult.
I suspect that these issues affect older women more than many younger women, perhaps because they (older women) have more at stake both from a career and lifestyle point of view and perhaps because younger women often tend to be a bit more relaxed/laid back about things.
As well, there is such an enormous effort required in adjusting to the obvious lack of independence. You find yourself having less mental flexibility in coping with child-rearing issues and perhaps less confidence as you become more precious about things.

Have you got any strategies for managing post-delivery?

No real strategies. To me it’s like going into a rodeo, you just have to hang on for the ride. It’s sink or swim and you just have to hope you keep swimming.
I’m considering organising some paid help and therefore professional support. I’m really grateful to family and friends but I don’t want my family to feel obligated.

Have you any tips for women, especially older women, who discover they are pregnant with twins?

I would suggest to not have too high an expectation of yourself and to accept assistance when offered. I guess this time around I’ve been a lot kinder to myself. I don’t know whether it’s because I’ve had kids or whether it’s because I’m getting older - and somehow wiser.
I used to refuse assistance when offered – I would say, "I’m fine".
I didn’t want to be treated differently or like an invalid.

Discovering we were pregnant for the first time was the most amazing and exciting news we ever had!! My pregnancy was problem-free with no morning sickness, no fatigue, and no swollen ankles - I was very happy!

At 35 weeks, I developed a very bad itch, all over my hands, arms, legs and feet. It was so annoying, and it got to the point where I was scratching my skin off. I thought it might have been a reaction to the animals, and for the next couple of days, I tried every cream, to no avail. This itch was driving me insane, and keeping both hubby and myself awake all night.

I decided to call the hospital to try and get some tablets or at least something stronger! They asked me to see them as soon as possible as it sounded like pregnancy-related symptoms. I was immediately hooked me up to a ‘CTG’ – they put a belt around my belly. This machine listened to the baby’s heartbeat and tested movements in my womb. I had a Liver Function Test – a simple blood test. The whole experience was a bit scary, as we didn’t know what the urgency was. My Obstetrician then shocked us with the recommendation of induction within the next couple of days due to a condition called ‘Obstetric Cholestises’ (OC).

OC is an extremely rare condition that showed a high level of bile salts in my liver. It hasn’t been proven what causes it, no one knows. One theory is that the liver finds the extra oestrogen produced during pregnancy difficult to deal with. There is a rise in the level of bile salts in the blood and some babies cannot cope with this. The unborn baby needs to be delivered at 37 or 38 weeks to help prevent stillbirth.

I was shocked when I found out how dangerous it was. OC could have been fatal for my baby and dangerous for me because you are more likely to hemorrhage.

Due to my Obstetrician being quick off the mark, Ella Louise, now 3 months, was born at 36 weeks, and was a healthy 2.84kgs.

If you’re pregnant and find yourself scratching your feet on the doormat, talk to your doctor as soon as possible. Your baby could be at risk.

Sarah’s pregnancy was categorised high-risk from sixteen weeks onwards. Her symptoms included oedema, pre-eclampsia and gestational diabetes. Sarah was the fourth person in Australia to trial the Atard Ripening Device designed to promote dilation of the cervix.

Sarah and Jasmine

 It was a difficult pregnancy with terrible morning sickness beginning at 5 1/2 weeks until 12 weeks then off and on until 22 weeks.
I was vomiting daily and nausea was constant. All I could stomach was vegemite on toast. At 16 weeks I began bleeding and my pregnancy was categorised high risk. By 18 weeks my blood pressure was 150/90. I was given medication immediately. Further tests detected protein in my urine, my first signs of pre-eclampsia. I had scans at 12 weeks, 16 weeks, 20 weeks and 24 weeks. It was scary. My symptoms got progressively worse and by 24 weeks I was recommended to stop work. I had fluid retention in my hands, legs and face. My blood pressure further increased and I was having scans fortnightly rather than monthly.

Gestational Diabetes

At 28 weeks, my doctor diagnosed gestational diabetes and a diabetes specialist placed me on a strict diet where I had to eat four or five meals a day with no high-sugar foods. I had to do a blood test four times a day to monitor my blood sugar levels. This was really hard for me because I have a real sweet tooth. My father has high blood pressure and my sister is an insulin-dependent diabetic.
At 33 weeks my blood pressure was still high and there was a risk of my baby being born with low birth weight. There was also a risk that the placenta was slowing down and not supplying the baby adequately. I had bad flushes, no energy and was completely stressed out. I could no longer wear normal shoes and was unable to wear my wedding band.

At my 36-week check up my blood sugar level was out of control and my blood pressure had reached 170/100. It was as though all the problems that could go wrong did go wrong. My doctor prescribed insulin injections and blood pressure tablets four times a day. He did an internal and when he found my baby was in the right position for birth, he asked me if I was happy to have the baby as soon as possible.

When I went to the hospital to be induced my feet were so swollen that I couldn’t even get my husband’s shoes on. I went to the Monash Medical Centre in Clayton where they take high-risk patients. My care was excellent. My doctor, midwives and specialists were so thorough and caring.

Atard Ripening Device

I was to be the fourth person in Australia to use a balloon induction device called the Atard Ripening Device. Designed in Israel by Dr Atard, the device is still on trial in this country. It comprises two parts that are almost like condoms or small balloons. One part is fitted into the cervix and the other part remains outside. Both are inflated with water. The device is designed to soften and dilate the cervix.
It was fairly uncomfortable having it fitted but not painful.
Meanwhile my baby’s heart was being monitored by Doppler scan.

I had some contractions overnight that I thought were horrendous and when I was told they were minor I decided there and then that I would have an epidural. By the next morning I was 4cm dilated. At 9am they broke my waters and put me on a drip of oxytocin. By 11am the contractions were fairly close together and very intense. By 1pm I was screaming for an epidural. From then on it was fine, I didn’t feel a thing.

By 6pm I was fully dilated and started pushing. They could see her head, and because of the effects of the epidural I had to be told when to push. My doctor came back in and I heard them say I needed help to get her out. They gave me an episiotomy and used forceps.

Jasmine

At 7.35pm Jasmine was born. She was 3.2kg (7.4lb) and 50 cm in length. For 36 weeks she was a good size. My husband Richard cut the cord. I fed her within 30 minutes of her being born because her blood sugar levels were quite low. The hospital fed her formula as well to boost these.

Two paediatricians checked her within the first three minutes and there were no problems. I was so, so relieved, exhausted and hungry! My husband was so emotional. He cried for 40 minutes before he was able to call his parents.

Jasmine had a small bruise on one eye that faded within a couple of days. Within a month I was off medication. Initially the fluid retention got worse which I am told is common but within two weeks most of it had gone. I had so many stitches and they were uncomfortable but it was nothing compared to what I went through during pregnancy. My doctors have advised me not to get pregnant within the next two years given all the problems.

Jasmine has been a real personality since she was born. She knows what she wants. As soon as she could crawl, she’d roll across the floor to get it. I love her to bits. And you know what, I swear I would go through it all again if I knew I would end up with another gorgeous baby like Jasmine.

I thought I would let you know of my nice and easy birth story, because most of the stories that I hear and read are of people who had heaps of trouble and I found that it was really depressing and I was starting to dread the actual act of giving birth. A happy story or two may have helped ease my mind. Having said that, my story does end with my daughter being admitted to the special care nursery for 4 days while they stabilised her blood sugar levels as a result of my gestational diabetes.

My name is Sally and I was diagnosed as a Gestational diabetic during the routine testing at the later stages of my pregnancy. I then spent the next 2-3 months be4ing told that I would not be able to go past 38 weeks gestation and that if I had not gone naturally by then, I would be induced.

At my 36 week visit with the doctor, he told me that I would be able to go full term, but not much longer. At 40 weeks, and being as big as a house, I was told that I should make a 41 week visit, but that they did not think that I would make it. At my 41 week visit, which I did make, I was told that they would not let me go too much longer and they would book me in for an induction. I was booked in for the next day. The doctor did an internal to determine if I would require the gel and found that I was actually 3cms dilated (AND IT DIDN'T HURT A BIT). I was told to come to the hospital at 7am the next day and they would break my waters, unless I went earlier.

Of course, I didn't go naturally so at 7am I waddled into the hospital and was settled in for the duration. At 9am the doctor came to break my waters, of which nothing came out. To make sure they had broken the doctor pulled some hair from my babies head. I was then attached to the drip and told that it should start soon. By 11.30am, I was in full labour. I was thinking to myself that it was no worse than a severe period pain. At about 1.30pm I jumped in the shower. After what felt like 10 mins, but was actually 45mins, I told the midwife I felt like pushing. She told me to go ahead and do what my body was telling me to do. That was the start of 3 hours of pushing.

After about 30 mins I asked for some gas. The doctor came in after 2.5 hours and said that if the baby wasn't born in 30 mins they would have to assist the delivery. That's when everything started to happen. I was put into the stirrups and told to push. Despite what I had been told in my classes, this was actually best position to be in - I could actually feel something happening!

The doctor didn't have to come back to assist - after a 5.5 hour labour, my daughter was born at 5.08pm on August 5, 2004 weighing 3895gms (8 pound, 9 ounces). She was given to me and we spent about 30 minutes together, including a small feed, before she was taken to the special care nursery to have her blood sugar levels measured. They were low and she was returned to me so that I could feed her again and have some time together before her next measure. While she was gone I was stitched up and had a shower and generally refreshed myself. My parents came to visit while Emma was with me and they got to have a hold. That was the last hold anyone had for 4 days. Emma's blood sugars were not stabilising so she was admitted to the nursery for 4 days. She was on a continuous feed for 3 of the 4 and then fed via a syringe of both breast milk and formula for the next day. Finally she was able to come in to me and we spent a day together in hospital before being sent home.

Emma is now 3 months old and is doing great - and neither of us have any further side effects of the diabetes.

I was a week overdue and I remember cleaning the house. It seemed logical that when you have a baby you won't have time to do the housework. They say this is one of the first signs of labour.
I had been to see my obstetrician the day before who had given me a cervical sweep, which is basically a prod to try to get things moving. I didn't even realise at the time. I was to be induced the next day and woke up at 7am with what felt like very slight period pains. I thought, hello, this could be it. I hopped in the shower and by 9am the contractions were stronger and more regular, probably about 20 minutes apart. We rang the hospital and told them what I was feeling. They advised a brisk walk to help bring on the labour. I went to get the newspaper, and when I returned the contractions were five minutes apart. They were painful but not unbearably so, enough to stop me in my tracks so I would have to sit down. At 11.30 we left for the hospital. The contractions were pretty strong. My husband couldn't get me there quick enough. When we got there they checked to see if I was dilating. I was already 5cm. I was in labour.

The contractions continued getting stronger and closer together and by 6pm, I opted for an epidural.
They offered me gas but that didn't seem to do anything. With hindsight maybe I gave up on it too early. But I was happy to have an epidural.
The contractions continued for about twenty minutes, then suddenly, there was no pain. It was amazing.
Within a couple of hours the epidural started wearing off. I could feel some sensation, which was okay. They offered to top it up but I didn't feel I needed it. My waters still hadn't broken at this stage. They kept offering to break them.
It was hilarious. My midwife was standing around talking about having Chinese for dinner and deciding whether or not to break my waters.
We decided to let them break naturally. They broke at about 9.30pm, although I must say I have no recollection of the waters breaking at all. I remember feeling hungry somewhere a long the line - I eaten about 7pm within a few hours I was starving.
I began pushing around 9.30pm and at 10.24 he popped out and was put to my breast and began breastfeeding.
It was the most awesome, natural thing.

From the time of crowning, it was literally two or three breaths, and he slid out. It was so quick. I couldn't believe he didn't slide onto the floor. And I looked at him and thought, who are you? He didn't look like Eric, he didn't look like me.
I had a textbook labour. In all it took about 15 hours with no false starts. Klaus was 8lb 11.
I remember lying there afterwards in awe of my mother and grandmothers who had given birth naturally. I thought, "my mother is a frigging legend".

The only downside for me with opting for an epidural was that I couldn't walk to go and have a shower and clean up. I was sort of left alone covered in blood unable to move.
I remember feeding my baby, then my husband Eric took him for an hour while I slept, then I threw up. I was feeling sleepy and disoriented - I couldn't work out how to put a nappy on.

I look back on it as such a fun, exciting day. And I really look forward to my next labour. That's the honest to God truth.

Our little Miracle - Nathan, was born 28 July 2004. He is an IVF baby, our second child, he has a 12 year old sister.

I was 2 days overdue, and did not really feel that I had any signs of labor beginning. I had more frequent Braxton Hicks and some pelvic pressure for about 3 days beforehand, but I never thought too much of it.

Wednesday morning, the nesting began. I cleaned out the spare room, washing all the sheets and blankets in hot water. I was between washes, sitting and reading a magazine when I had a sudden contraction, much more painful and longer lasting than the Braxton Hicks, so I noted the time: 10.38am. Next one came 7 minutes later, and I had a show. I called the hospital, the midwife seemed to think that I would "go into labor" within 24-48 hours. I knew right there and then that I was already in labor, and I told the midwife that I didn't think it would take that long. She suggested I take a warm bath and have some morning tea, and take some Panadeine. No hot bath for me - I had used all the hot water in the wash, I had no Panadeine, so I took 2 Panadol instead. (I thought about that later - useless!).

My contractions remained 6-7 minutes apart for about half an hour, and then seemed to come closer and closer together, very quickly. I called my husband home from work at 11am, by the time he got home 20 minutes later the contractions were 4-5 minutes apart, and lasting about 40 seconds. And getting more and more painful. I paced the house, walking with each contraction. It seemed to help a little, and I was too uncomfortable to sit. By 12.30 I was in too much pain to remain at home. I had a quick shower, hubby did the same. We picked up our daughter from school and headed to the hospital.

At 1.00pm the midwife examined me, I was 4 cm's dilated. I requested the gas. It helped me breath through each contraction properly but did not help the pain. I could not believe how painful this was, much more painful than my first baby. I asked for pethidene at 2.00pm. I had a large dose, 150 mg. It did nothing for the pain, so I asked for an epidural. "Too late" the midwife said. I was devasted and kept begging for it. They insisted that my labor was progressing too fast and that there would not be any time. The were right. By 3.30pm, I was in agony, and I was taking in the maximum amount of gas possible. Suddenly my contractions started to "roll", 1 after the other, no break in between, and incredibly intense. I didn't realise it, but I was in transition. The midwife examined me again, 9 cm's dilated. I screamed and moaned with the pain. My water broke at 3.38pm spontaneously, and I began pushing a minute later.

I don't recall much of the second stage, the pethidine and gas made me feel "whacked out". I do remember the awful stinging sensation as my baby's head crowned, and then the sheer relief as he slipped out at 4.04pm. Wednesday 28 July 2004. A beautiful baby boy. He had some trouble, he was not breathing - a result of 3 things: the pethidine suppressed his respiratory system as it was given too late, his cord was wrapped around his neck and legs, and the second stage was 24 minutes - a little too quick. A paediatrician was called in to resuscitate him. He was given an oxygen mask, 2 injections of Narcan (to reverse the effects of the pethidine), and tactile stimulation. It took 5 minutes to get him breathing. All I could manage was to occasionally ask if he was ok. No one said a word, they were too busy working on my baby, to keep him alive. He was completely white, no color in him at all until he started breathing. Finally, he pinked up and started breathing, and he was given to his dad while the doctor stitched me up.

I held my miracle baby for the first time about half an hour after his birth. It was the most precious moment of my life.

I had a very uneventful pregnancy after conception anyway, Harmony was conceived via IVF on our first cycle, which was both a shock and a delight.

I had no problems what-so-ever and worked until the week before she was due to arrive. Being my first baby I thought I would be overdue and have a bit more time to prepare everything at home - this was not to be the case.

The day I went into Labour (the day before Harmony was due) - my husband and I went down to our local shopping centre. We wandered around the shops for a couple of hours, and then decided to see a movie. There was nothing that interested us on at the movies, so we ended up in the Time Zone playing video games for an hour or so. When we tried to leave the shopping centre the doors had been locked, which meant a 20 minute waddle (in my case) around the outside of the centre back to the car. We were joking about that fact that our nice walk would bring the baby on - little did we know....

We went to bed early and I slept really well until about 12.30am.... I woke up and went to the toilet, once I got back into bed I felt this sharp pain and then had a popping sensation. I lay perfectly still for a few moments not believing what had just happened. I got out of bed - trying not to leak on the mattress (no I didn't have any protective sheeting on the bed) and waddled back to the toilet - grabbing a towel as I went. After confirming that my waters had broken I waddled back to the bedroom in tears and woke my husband...

He was happy and excited - although he already had 2 kids from his previous marriage - this was our first baby. I rang the Royal Women’s Hospital and told them my waters had broken - I must have sounded extremely upset - as the midwife I spoke to assured me that it was a good thing. I changed the sheets on the bed and grabbed my bags. Once we got to the hospital I was monitored for 3 hours and once they established I was not in labour nor had I started to dilate that I could go home if I wanted to - which I definitely did.

By the time we drove the 30 minutes home again, I had unknowingly gone into labour. I sent my husband back to bed and suffered through the pains on my own, still not realising I was in labour. I remembered from the birthing classes that sitting on the toilet was the most comfortable - which at the time I thought was very silly - but sure enough - I spent about an hour just sitting there crying. I then got into the shower on my hands and knees and stayed there until the hot water ran out. I could not cope alone - and woke my husband.

As soon as he woke up, he realised my contractions were about 2mins apart. He managed to get me dressed and back into the car. We arrived back at the hospital about 7.15am - and was ushered straight into a birthing suite.

No-one came in for about 5 minutes, which caused my normally laid back husband to go out to the nurses station to demand someone come in to give me some gas.

A midwife and doctor walked in together - the doctor said he could see the babies head, and left. Meanwhile I just kept saying "I'm not ready to be a mum - I have to much to do - I'm not ready to be a mum". I also remember telling them that I didn't want to tear - but they weren't allowed to cut me - which by this stage was too late - Harmony had already arrived in 2 pushes at 7.51am on the 28th March 2004 .....

I had a post partum hemorage, and had a lot of stitches - none of which I was really aware of - my poor husband was quite upset and worried because of all the blood, all I could marvel at was our beautiful baby girl.

All we said to each other was - "My god - look at the size of her feet". Harmony was a healthy 8 pound baby, with a shock of blonde hair. I recovered very quickly and took her home the following day. Harmony is a happy bubbly baby and is a constant delight - I can't wait to do it all over again!!!

Written by Monique Lower.

Melissa was booked in for an elective Caesarean. Nineteen days before her due date, she was doing the housework when she noticed her contractions were two minutes apart. After an hour of labour, she gave birth to her baby boy.

Melissa & Hudson

A birthplan is a wildcard. We knew we were having a boy. We had already named him Hudson. I was booked in for an elective Caesarean because my obstetrician thought the baby’s head was too big to pass through the birth canal. But nearly three weeks before this date, I went into labour. The day before the actual birth the movement was incredible. It was as though the baby was trying to get out.

I woke up at 3am the following morning and sat on the toilet for about an hour pushing, with nothing. I awoke again at 6am and sat for another hour. Then my waters broke. It wasn’t the huge gush I expected.
I went into Jason who was watching golf and said:
“I think I’m having the baby”. He said: “No man, it’s Braxton Hicks”. It was nineteen days before the due date. We rang the hospital and I was told not to come in until I was unable speak. I was screaming on the phone. Some obstetricians like you to have the majority of labour at home until the contractions are a minute apart and you are unable to speak.

I had a shower, a cup of tea, rolled around the floor like Orca, packed a hospital bag, Jason interviewed me on video camera then made me another cup of tea and a cheese sandwich and I sat there watching golf. I wasn’t really watching it so instead I thought I’d do the housework. It’s an absolute fable to clean the house before labour ready for your return; your guy is at home for a week by himself and by the time you get back the house is trashed. Anyhow I vacuumed, did all the dishes and rang friends with my contractions two minutes apart. I could still talk. We rang the hospital again and was told to come straight in. I left the house, leaning on pillars, doing my quick breathing. The breathing techniques they teach you at antenatal classes are fabulous.

So I’m walking along, behaving normally for a few minutes, then suddenly I’m stopped still, doing quick breaths.
It was 15 minutes to hospital. We went straight to the birthing unit, onto a machine to monitor the foetal contractions. They then wanted to do an internal but I wouldn’t let them near me. I snapped my legs shut and wouldn’t move. I was still clothed and wasn’t sure what was falling out of me at that stage. They eventually coerced me and found the baby’s head was already there.

I was asking for drugs but was told that by the time an anaesthetist arrived it would be too late. They asked me to push but I refused and started crying, rocking and moaning. The head was still there but I wasn’t pushing the baby out. They gave me gas that helped a little. Jason also grabbed the gas and had some. There was also a full bar in the room so he’s now having a drink and we are arguing over whether or not he is allowed to watch sport on television.

My first midwife I swear was straight out of a prison of war camp. We didn’t click at all, so I asked for another one. Finally the obstetrician arrived wearing a green hat and robe with a huge trolley for all his instruments. All I could think of was a Mr Bean movie, and couldn’t stop laughing.

In the labour room with me were Jason, Mum, four midwives and the obstetrician. The most annoying thing in the world is that everyone is telling you to push, and that’s just what you’re doing. They told that if I didn’t push the baby out they would go in and get him. So I started pushing. You feel like you are going to push your pelvis out. It’s so exhausting. You could pass out between contractions. And my labour was quick! I couldn’t imagine going on for hours and hours.

Jason was still smashed from gas, laughing his head off, running through the entire breakfast menu they brought for me. My mother is washing her hands 50 times a day and telling me stories of my birth. I believe you snap into a coping mechanism. Once the baby starts moving it’s as though it’s saying ‘mum, gotta get out of here!’
They asked me if I want to get naked and I’m thinking, ‘no way! I’ve got breasts like Bessy the Cow’.

I’ve still got my paper hotpants on and when the obstetrician had a bit of a fiddle, he had to divide the central panel of the paper hotpants. There was talk of an episiotomy. I thought,
‘Holy Jesus’.
Jason’s saying it will be all right and I’m screaming:
“ It’s not your vagina!”
That was the last I spoke until giving birth.
I had another contraction that anaesthetised the area, and at the peak of the contraction the obstetrician cut me. The timing was perfect.
The baby came out and they gave him to me and put him on my chest. He was 3 kilos (six pounds) at 19 days premature. I cried, and everyone was crying. I remember noticing that the bed was covered in blood. They offered me a shower but I refused because I’d had my hair blow-waved the day before. I knew I would have so many visitors and if I showered it would wreck it and would look like pubic fuzz.

The placenta looked like an old-fashioned crown. Jason thought it looked like offal. He took the baby while they patched me up.
It wasn’t painful but it wasn’t pleasant. I had 29 stitches that took twenty minutes and five local anaesthetics. Mum came over and talked me through it.

A good obstetrician makes all the difference. Basically he’s just there to catch the baby and do the repair work. He really was brilliant. Suddenly everything was cleaned up. I was dressed in my own clean pyjamas, drinking French champagne. The pain had stopped. I was given a frozen condom to put in my underpants to help the swelling. But when it melted the stitches itched. I had to keep changing them.

We were left alone with our baby for an hour. Then they came back to do tests and told us everything was fine. Because he was so little I had to power feed him. He was also jaundiced and had to have regular light treatment for the first three weeks. It was distressing watching the medical staff prick his heel when testing beliruben levels. After the birth I got ahead of myself up and was up jumping around ringing people. My back snapped out of place and I ended up on floor, writhing about screaming for medication. The anaesthetic had worn off a bit and I completely fell apart.

The third day was the worse. I had hot, inflamed, stinging breasts that were so large they couldn’t attach Hudson. I had one midwife extracting milk on one breast and the another attaching the baby on the other breast.
It felt like I had a bladder infection of the breast.
They were asking me if I was okay and I was yelling: “No”

I was constantly being milked by different people or trying to attach my baby. The midwives told me not to worry and said the milk would soon be flowing like champagne. I breast-fed for one month but it wasn’t an easy process for me. They sent me to breastfeeding school twice.

I was depressed, the pain relief was reduced and going to the toilet was an acrobatic procedure. Oh, and my uterus contracted every time I breastfed. My nipples were cracked and burning and I was bleeding like a beheaded pig. In hospital all you want to do is go home, when at home you want to be back in hospital. Going home was the scariest part. It was worse than the labour. But you cope. You cope because you know there’s light.

Marysia chose to have her second baby in water. Her first birth experience had been difficult and involved medical intervention that left her feeling emotionally scarred and disempowered. When she became pregnant again, she vowed from the beginning to remain in control of her subsequent birth.

“Birth is a major thing in your life and if it doesn’t go well, it stays with you for a long time”.

My first birth had gone badly for reasons I believe were related to having an epidural. So many things went wrong in the way my labour was managed. I was 16 days overdue, and they were desperate to induce me. They had called me in the night before but I chose to stay at home so I could at least have a decent sleep. When I arrived at the hospital at 9am the following day, the hospital was too busy to induce me because there were so many women in labour. I stayed in hospital until 7pm when my waters burst and I went into labour. There was still no labour room available so I was given a side room with three other women with only a curtain between us. I felt as though I had no nesting place. I had just gone wam-bam into contractions and they took me to a room with a small table not much bigger than a portable massage couch. They gave me gas, and I kept sucking, saying, it’s broken, it doesn’t work. It was broken.

I never got to relax. It was like this for two or three hours. I had to walk from one ward to another, in a short t-shirt. I was dressed so inappropriately. I remember having a contraction in the hallway, bending over a trolley, bum in the air. People were walking by, they could see everything.
From the beginning, I was not comfortable, I was not in control.

The pain was so intense I thought I couldn’t cope and I asked for an epidural. I noticed it weakened my contractions so much so that they disappeared. I asked the midwives if this was an adverse side effect of an epidural but they were reluctant to say. Eventually they told me it was possible. I couldn’t push because I couldn’t feel anything. The labour was getting longer, and I was aware that this brings with it the risk of not enough oxygen being supplied to the baby.

In the end they used the biggest forceps and tore me to bits. By this stage I’d been going all day, all night, three different wards, three different beds, the staff had changed shifts, no one was watching. I knew there was something wrong as I was losing too much blood, but everyone was looking at the baby. I remember saying something is wrong, there’s something wrong, I’m going, I’m going…

My blood pressure hit rock bottom, I vomited, I was almost passing out.
Then they took me to theatre. I was haemorrhaging. I had a blood transfusion that night.

Most women would have said that they would never have gone through childbirth again. And looking back I didn’t know any differently at the time. My experience scarred me emotionally and for weeks I felt it was my fault. I felt like a failure. It also took me weeks to heal physically from the episiotomy and the bruising incurred where they had applied pressure to stop the haemorrhaging.

Many women go to have birth, women who are competent, strong-minded people who make important decisions everyday in both their personal and professional life, yet they go to give birth and do not make their own decisions. They don’t know their options and they allow their birth to be taken away from them. I was one of those women the first time around. I didn’t want to be that person for a second time.

Waterbirth

I originally chose water as a method of pain control. I hadn’t intended to give birth in water. I began to investigate what was involved in having a birthing pool at home but as it turned out, the only practical place for it was downstairs in the dining room due to the weight of the water. Because we have a tenant downstairs who would have heard the entire labour, I decided to find another option. I was determined to get the birth I wanted.

I found a hospital with a birthing pool and begged and begged them take me. They did. When my waters broke, I was at home and didn’t tell anyone. I had a bath, went for a walk, it was my own little secret. I stayed at home for as much of the labour as possible. The hospital only has one birthing pool and there was no guarantee that it would be free. Luckily someone had just finished with it when I arrived.

I made the birthing room mine. I had heard talk of this first time around and had dismissed it, underestimating the positive effect it has on your birth experience. This time I took my own music, burnt lavender essential oil, moved the furniture, placing the bed against the wall so it was cosy. I took my own pillows and packed lots of carbohydrates to keep my energy up. I had already decided that there was no way was I going to be on my back this time. Instead I was on all fours with pillows underneath for support. What I didn’t know was that you had to be 4cm dilated before you could get in the pool and it was a good few hours before I could move into the water.

My midwife saw that I knew what I was doing and left me alone to focus on my breathing.
I practised the form of yoga breathing I had learned in class. My yoga teacher had taught me to welcome each contraction, say hello to it, receive it, then say good bye to it and send it away. With each contraction I drew a deep breath in followed by an extended out-breath continuing until the end of each contraction. As I breathed, I pictured a mountain, breathing up to its peak then down the other side. I stayed focussed by making a noise, a chant, like a arrrrhhhhhmmmmmmmmm. It helped to keep my concentration. I became obsessed about the whole thing but I believe it was the breathing that enabled me to cope with the pain.

At one point my husband came in unwrapping his sandwiches. It completely broke my concentration. I remember asking him calmly, but very firmly, to be quiet.
I was able to control the pain almost right up until the birth. The most difficult part was getting into the pool between contractions. Once I was in there, it was fantastic.The water is very warm. It has to be for the baby. After a while, my midwife examined me and asked if I wanted to give birth under water. Out of 2000 births, only eight had been born underwater at this hospital. I felt so comfortable in the water and already I was fully dilated. I was about to have the baby.

I had a sudden urge to push, but knew I had to resist as I’d risk tearing. I remember holding on for dear life and then the head popped out… and then the body… and my baby floated to the surface! I couldn’t believe it. It was just plop, plop, and Konrad was born.

There were little white blobs in the water from the vernix. I had been expecting to see a lot of blood but there wasn’t a drop. The water was completely clear. I was so ecstatic. My second birth was a dream. I felt so proud. I kept saying, I did it! I did it!

In water there is no weight on you, it has a wonderful calming effect. You can be in whatever position you want, squatting, or leaning forward supporting yourself on the edge of the pool. It feels natural to move around. The whole process is so much more relaxed. No fists clenched, no white knuckles. I had one tiny tear.
Konrad is a nice boy. I’m not sure if it has anything to do with the birth, but he’s very calm.

After my first birth, I remained in hospital for eight days. Following my waterbirth, I went home that same day.