After a quiet New Years Eve at home celebrating the fact we’d made it to January, on New Years Day I woke feeling terrible. I was more tired than usual (and grumpy!) so after a long and hot day of feeling utterly useless, my husband and I decided to go for a swim late that afternoon. A dip in the ocean made me feel so much better and when we got home, I went to water the veggies before heading inside for the night. It was about 6pm and while watering the garden I felt a sudden sharp pain in my abdomen, followed instantly by a trickle of fluid down my legs as though I’d wet myself. My husband and I looked at each other in disbelief, before smiles cracked across our faces as we realised what had happened. I awkwardly raced inside to the bathroom as the water was well and truly gushing now and excitedly called Jenny and Jas to let them know I thought my waters had broken. On their instruction to take it easy and go about things as usual, my husband inflated the birth pool in our bedroom while I showered, we tidied the house and set everything up, then enjoyed a delicious meal and glass of red wine on the deck while the sun went down....all the while giggling nervously at the fact we would be meeting our little one soon.
My contractions were six or so minutes apart, but felt just like mild period pain so I was convinced it would be a while before anything happened. We had a relaxing bath, then at 10.30pm decided to head to bed and get some rest before the task ahead. At 11pm my contractions ramped up big-time and although I was struggling a bit with their intensity, I didn’t want to call Jas or Jenny as I truly thought it was far too early on to bother them. Little did I know, my husband was keeping them updated with my progress and at 1.30am they arrived to see how things were going. They both calmly entered the room and after observing my rather unsuccessful attempts at managing my discomfort (think loud noises and marching on the spot!), suggested I conserve my energy and gently guided me to focus on my breathing through each contraction. I did exactly that and instantly a wave of calm swept over the room - something I will never forget and will forever be thankful for! Unbeknownst to me, I was apparently progressing well and Jenny, Jasmijn and Liam set to work quickly and quietly filling the birth pool, boiling the kettle and warming pots of water on the stove to ensure there was enough warm water for me. I was now feeling strong and in control as I focussed on my new breathing techniques through each contraction and relished in the cold, wet face washers wiping my brow and Jenny’s magical hands working pressure points in my shoulders. By the time I was ready to move into the water, the pool still wasn’t full enough so my husband jumped in with me to raise the water level and held me as I positioned myself on all fours. At this point I vaguely remember getting teary and telling him I wasn’t sure I could do this, then shortly after that, being told to gently bear down with the next contraction. In hindsight, I must have been so deeply in the zone, completely oblivious to what was happening as I changed positions a few times under their guidance during what I now know was transition and the descent of my baby. It wasn’t until Jenny mentioned that if I slipped my finger inside I would feel the head that I abruptly came back to earth and realised my baby was here and that the job of birthing them was now at hand!
Everything was so calm and quiet and Jasmijn’s voice and soft touch, gently guiding my body as she came, was a support and comfort I will never forget. After 40 minutes our baby was born at 4.30am. Jasmijn eased her through my legs as I sat back, scooped her up and cradled her to my chest with tears of pure joy and awe streaming down my face. After the excited exclamation “it’s a girl!!”, Liam and I sat stunned, staring at our little miracle and full of love.
We slowly moved out of the pool and over to our bed and with Liam by my side and Elyn on my chest, Jenny and Jas guided me through the calm delivery of my placenta. Liam cut her cord once it had stopped pulsating and then they quietly cleaned us up and made us comfortable, all the while fluttering about tidying everything up. The sun had begun to rise on the most perfect Tasmanian summer’s day, and we all sat and enjoyed a coffee in our bedroom with the doors wide open, listening to the birds chirping and recounting the magic that had just happened in that very spot.