Midwife Says, Mama Says: Labour and Life with a Newborn

Our Sassy Midwife’s version of labour and life with a newborn

If you’ve been following our gorgeous midwife Shani’s pregnancy then you’ll love her latest post about her labour and subsequent first few weeks with beautiful little daughter Amala (who’s making us a little bit broody…). Twelve weeks after the birth, she gives us the real deal.

Labour

Midwife says:

The latest phase of early on labour can be tiring and frustrating… QUITEN UP MIDWIFE and let the mama tell the story!

Mama says:

The short version: It was amazing, it was painful, it was better than I thought it would be.

The long version: I had been having very strong tightenings for weeks leading up to my due date, they were a little more than Braxton Hicks (practice contractions) and I was given a medical term called “Irritable Uterus”… I would like to rename this “Irritating Uterus”. It was basically my uterus being stretched and having regular muscular spasms.

It was manageable though and I finished work at 37 weeks. During this time at home I foolishly felt bored! Ha! Let me join in laughing with you at my pre-baby carefree self!

The 4 nights leading up to my labour were full of false starts. Every night I would have regular contractions 15 minutes apart, and then a few hours later, they would be gone.

Finally, 5 days before my due date, I was woken in the night with terrible back pain, which went on for the next 12 hours. I knew I was only in very early labour, so I stayed home as long as possible. Hot water, back massage and my TENS machine saved me in this phase.

When I finally decided to go into the hospital, I was having strong contractions and the drive to the hospital was pretty hairy. I remember having one awful long, back crunching contraction while on the freeway, passing the W hotel… (and wondered if T and F were nearby, too!).

When I arrived at the hospital I was in established labour and having painful, long contractions in my back as my baby was in the posterior position. After trying to cope for two hours on the gas and back massage, I was exhausted and in agony. When the midwife mentioned the anaesthetist was on the unit, I literally threw the gas across the room and jumped on the bed ready for an epidural.

As heavenly numbness washed over my back, I was finally able to sleep, but not for long as an hour later she was ready to come! Pushing was quicker than expected as she had turned into the perfect position, and suddenly she was on my chest! I was able to enjoy skin to skin with her as I watched her open her eyes and cry an almighty cry turning from blue to pink.

As soon as I knew she was okay, my brain started to switch into midwife mode and I actually asked for the suction bulb to remove the mucous in her mouth (!). I had to be reminded that I was now the patient and not the midwife and to pipe down and enjoy my baby! And that is just what I have done every day for the past 12 weeks.

The First Few Weeks

There have been new things to learn about love, fear and sacrifice. My husband and I have had to find a new level of understanding and communication (AKA him putting up with my sometimes hyper-sensitive over-emotional self).

I have had days that I have been able to clean the house, make dinner and even bake a cake, and I have had days where I have almost brushed my teeth with hemorrhoid cream instead of toothpaste. I try not to measure these days in terms of successes’ or failures however, I just think of them as part and parcel of life with a newborn.

All in all, so far it has been a joy, a journey of ups and downs and altogether simply fabulous.

She breastfeeds like a dream and gives us bright gummy smiles. She coos to her dad with her big brown eyes sparkling. She takes to the bath as if it were a Turkish Hamam and lets us get just enough sleep to function (… on most days).

Her name, Amala, means hope and she is indeed everything a mother could have hoped for. #blessed