It all began in September 2009 when I began getting regular acupuncture for treatment of my Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS). After a few months of treatment I began to menstruate, something that had not happened in my body naturally for years. My main priority for seeking treatment was to help my body to work properly without the help of medication and to find an effective treatment for a condition that I have had for a long time without the side effects. I had accepted in my mind that conceiving a child could be difficult but I tried to be as relaxed about the whole thing as possible.
After 10 months in July 2010 I found out I was pregnant, which was a wonderful surprise. I had a lovely, uncomplicated pregnancy. The first few weeks were the hardest. I felt very tired, but only had very mild nausea which disappeared completely after 10 weeks. The second trimester was certainly the best, my energy levels returned to normal and I felt really good. During my pregnancy I continued with acupuncture and joined a pregnancy yoga class that I went to every week and absolutely loved. I also walked my lovely german shepherd dog nearly everyday, which kept me active. I was in good paws during my pregnancy because he seemed to know what was happening because he would sniff me a lot and curl up outside the bathroom while I was in the shower every morning. The first half of pregnancy seemed to go slowish, however it was very exciting to go the 12 and 20 weeks scans with my husband and see our little bean growing inside. From 20 weeks onwards the time seemed to fly by.
After 30 weeks I began to feel tired again by the end of the day but certainly not as much as in the early days. Simon and I had set the nursery up, I had packed a hospital bag and we started attending pregnancy to parenting classes at the hospital in preparation for what to expect during labour and birth. We really enjoyed the classes and met some new friends, some of who I see regularly.
I had been in contact with Lindi and found out about Blossoming Bellies after Simon and I decided to get some photography done. So at 35 weeks Lindi came over to our house where we had a lot of fun getting some beautiful photos of my precious bump.
At 36 weeks I finished up at work and began my maternity leave. For the next week the nesting stage kicked in. I was madly cleaning and baking, my poor husband would come home after work, unsure of what he would find when he walked in the door (those mad pregnancy hormones). Everyone was telling me to rest but really it was the last thing I felt like doing I just want to cook, clean and walk the dog. At the end of that week I enjoyed a fun morning with my closest girlfriends and family at my baby shower which was on the Saturday morning. We all had fun guessing how big the baby was going to be and when it might arrive (little did we know at the time just how close it was).
The following Monday was a public holiday and I said to Simon ‘We should enjoy Monday together since we are not going to have time just the two of us for much longer’. So Monday the 14 March 2011 I planned a fun day. In the morning we had breakfast in bed with french toast and fruit. I went out for lunch with a friend and in the afternoon Simon and I went to the movies. We got home in the evening and after a nice dinner I went off to have shower and jump into bed (mean while Simon was on the couch complaining of a headache). I got out of the shower and bent over to dry my toes, just as I did my water broke on the bathroom floor. I was in labour. Due to the headache we decided to hop into bed and try to have a bit of a rest in preparation for a long night ahead. We had a bit of a rest then called the delivery suite at the hospital to let them know what was going and by this stage mild contractions had started. I felt relaxed and excited that soon I would be meeting our baby. The midwives asked us to come into the hospital to get checked out, the heartbeat was strong and I was 4cm dilated. The contractions continued and I spent time in and out of the shower the warm water was a nice relief for contractions. I also had a bit of gas which really took the edge off. I began to feel the urge to push and the midwife gave me the ’ok’ to push if I wanted to. I said to her that it was the best thing she said to me all night. I pushed my little heart out and at 0355hrs on Tuesday 15 March 2011 Hayden came into the world. He had his little cord wrapped around his neck twice but the midwife soon unwrapped and Simon cut the cord then Hayden was crying as he took his first breath. I was lying on my left side while I gave birth and both Simon and I could see our little son come into the world. He weighed 2.9kg and was 50.5cm long. In total my labour went for 7 hours, even though it was hard work and uncomfortable it was a wonderful experience, Hayden was a healthy baby and I had no complications. During the night there were only three people in the room Simon, the midwife and I. It was a lovely calming atmosphere and Simon and the midwife were the most wonderful support to me and I couldn’t have done it without them. With every contraction Simon would remind me that it was one closer to meeting our baby, which was reassuring to me. Hayden was three weeks early, it took him a few days to get the hang of breastfeeding but once he did he never looked back.
Our baby Hayden is now 8 months old and I feel privileged to be his Mum. I have felt a very strong connection with him from before he was born. We have our good days and challenging days but he is the happiest, healthiest little boy. We spend a lot of time singing and playing, we have met lots of beautiful friends and Hayden loves being around people, he is a very social baby. During the times that he is a little unsettled I have learnt that Mum cuddles fix a lot of things. Being a Mum is busy and lots of work but I love my son and I love watching him grow and do new things all the time. I just try to relax and not worry as much as possible and enjoy him.
Overall, pregnancy, birth and motherhood has been a wonderful time in my life. I had a great experience and was very lucky not to have any complications. I believe that the things that contributed to getting through it all so well was acupuncture, yoga, dog walking and a relaxed and positive state of mind. People are sometimes quick to tell you all the horror stories but I like to share my story with whoever would like to know because I really enjoyed listening to those that had good birth stories that helped keep me feel positive and not fearful of giving birth.
The last couple of years have been a real journey for me which all began when I started seeing Jan Jamieson for acupuncture. I feel sure that Hayden would not be here today if it wasn’t for her wonderful work. I hope my story gives hope to people, where the whole process is not as straight forward as for some. It can be an emotional and difficult time. From my experience I believe that babies come into the world when the time is right, despite the odds.
Warm wishes and best of luck Lindi, it was a privilege to be part of Blossoming Bellies. Thank you.
Jane xx
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