Doulas are the best! Every so often we are privledged to have one become a customer, and Dani is a doula who has shared her beautiful birth with us
It all began on a Saturday night when I was induced (Due to a few different reasons). I felt like I was having on and off contractions the previous week and had a feeling I had started dilating.
I had the first set of gels at roughly 8.3pm-9pm, the midwife checked my cervix and could feel it hadn't dilated (So I was completely wrong thinking I had dilated during the week).
After about an hour I started to get slight surges and I was unable to sleep so I continued to lay in bed and watch Netflix while Roland got some sleep .
The midwife came back at 2am and inserted the second lot of gels. She did another cervix check while she was inserting the gels and said I had only dilated to 1cm. I remember thinking "Gosh, this might take a while". As soon as the second gels were inserted the surges really ramped up and already started to feel quite close together.
I didn't bother to wake Roland up and walked around the room on my own for about an hour, enjoying the peace and quiet just being with my thoughts and taking in everything that was happening, as I knew this was going to be my last birth. I wanted to remember the feeling of being in labour and try and lock that memory away forever.
After about an hour, I decided it was time to call in my birth photographer and my mum who was also wanting to be a part of my birth team. I woke Roland up and got my Elle tens machine that I had hired through Bliss birth and placed the pads on my back, ready to go for the next surge. I also got my hypnobirthing meditation ready and listened to through my ear phones. This allowed me to block out outside noises and to help me concentrate on getting through the surges.
When I was in labour with Sierra I had to move around a lot, but with Orlando I felt comfortable lying down in one spot. The only time I moved was at one point when I went over to the little birth alter I had set up, and was looking at all the beautiful beads and affirmations I had received at my mother blessing. One affirmation read "Myah, Sierra and Sascia's strength is with you", and I began to weep. Because I am a Doula and know a lot about labour and how the mind is connected to the body, I knew by my emotions that things were starting to move along fast.
I used the Elle TENS machine to help me get through each surge and as they got stronger and stronger, I hit the boost button. gosh how I love that boost button!! The Elle TENS machine hands down helped me get through labour without drugs (and the gas). Although the contractions were extremely Stong, the Elle TENS machine helped ease the pain and I wished I had invested in it with my previous labours.
With the next surge I felt my waters break and started screaming out "He's coming, call Ray, the baby is coming out" I hit the opti- max key and turned up the intensity of the pulse power to get me through the final stage of labour. I felt like no one believed me at the time, because it was all happening so fast. It was about 5am and Ray (my Ob) was due to come and break my waters at 8.30am the next morning, but my waters had already broken and I could feel my son was ready to be born.
They called Ray who came within 5 minutes. By this stage I became very primal and my motherly instincts kicked in, I started to roar and moan to help my body gain the power to push my son out. I absolutely had no control over my body and the things it was doing, it was so primal and so empowering.
At 5.32am on the 16th May, I birthed my beautiful baby boy Orlando Michael. He was placed straight onto my chest and we spend the next hour and a half together, bonding undisturbed.
It was so beautiful and everything I had envisioned for my third and last birth.