My birth story really begins with the pregnancy and birth of my first child in Feb 2014. Skye was born via ‘elective’ caesarean section after being confirmed breech at around 28-weeks. I tried everything to get her to turn…inversions, moxibustion, homeopathic remedies etc…but she wouldn’t budge! She also was suspected of having intra-uterine growth restriction ( IUGR) so from 28-weeks I was in hospital 2-3 times per week for CTG monitoring and ultrasounds, which turned my low-risk stress-free pregnancy into quite the opposite. No issues were found on the ultrasounds but this didn’t take away the stress of the […]
The Feelosophy of Birth, by Brooke
Welcome Feelosophers… As women we can hold and nurture a child within our womb, in a space of creativity and a place like no other. There is something magical and mystical about the gift a woman has to bring forward life. Women are at their most creative when pregnant. Use this opportunity to journal and pass on these creative expressions to your child. What a gift! Pregnancy can go by in the blink of an eye and today often does as we continue on keeping busy and getting caught up in the whirlwind of life. So, take the time […]
My Incredible Caesarean Birth, by Emma
I was only a teenager when I was advised that whenever I decided to start a family, I’d need to give birth via a caesarean. With the health issues I was having this didn’t seem a big deal at the time, but later I’d learn about the feeling of disempowerment by having this choice taken away from me. After fistula surgery from Crohn’s disease, two fistula repairs, a bowel resection and autoimmune arthritis, by the time I was 25 and fell pregnant, each of my 3 specialists advised a c-section delivery. At 30 weeks pregnant I was upset at the […]
My Homebirth with an Unexpected Ending, by Sarah
I saw my midwife on Wednesday @ 41+3 and put a plan into place for 42+ weeks so was feeling relaxed about everything. I was measuring big but declined a growth scan as we agreed they can be inaccurate. On Thursday morning I woke at 4am with some niggling period type pains but tried to ignore them. This pregnancy was my third baby and I had been having false starts for weeks so any ‘signs’ by this point were dismissed until they turned into the real deal! The pains carried on, low in my bump and I fell back to […]
My Unplanned, Unassisted Homebirth, by Marlaina
My pregnancy was pretty uneventful, until the end. I remember the first time I met my OB I told him that for the most part women didn’t need doctors to help them deliver their babies. I had a water birth for my first baby almost three years before and the midwife was pretty hands off. So I knew that my body could do it on its own. He told me that he knew right then that I would be a “difficult patient.” At 34 weeks I was diagnosed with high blood pressure and put on medication. It was then […]