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24.01.2022 BIRTH STORY Congrats to Rach and Aaron, thanks for sharing your humorously written birth story about your baby’s speedy entrance into the world. I have finall...y written out the story. So for those who haven't heard all the details feel free to make yourself a cuppa and have a read. On the 19th of May I was ready to give birth. I had finished all my projects, finished up at work, I had the house clean, food cooked, birthing book read and I was just waiting (I highly recommend ‘Juju Sundin’s Birth Skills with Sarah Murdoch’ very helpful book for getting motivated for birth) . I had an idea of what I wanted to happen in the different stages of labour, I had thought through what pain management strategies I was going to try and even written out a cheat sheet for Aaron on how to handle me. I also did not want to start anything new at that point in case the baby came. I passed my time on a mate’s property just brushing and sitting with horses as this was the best thing to keep me sane as I could focus on building my connection with them through being not doing a skill I still haven’t mastered in so many area of life. By the 27th of May I was 8 days past my due date and starting to feel a bit over it. I am usually someone who likes to have different projects on the go and be working towards something. I was booked for an induction in three days’ time and I was quite worried about this as I had heard it made labour come on too fast for many people. I was planning to discuss this with Ellen at my next midwife appointment and see if we could push the induction date back as late as possible (I also highly recommend Hunter Midwifery group practice, I got to talk with at least four of the lovely midwives and they were all really lovely and supportive). That night think I woke 5 times with worries about the induction on my mind. The morning of the 28th I felt a bit better and decided to stop waiting for bubs and just jump into a new project and start a painting as I hadn’t painted in a long time. I was also looking forward to heading out to the horses that afternoon to meet up with some riding friends. While I was doing the morning chores, I noticed some sensations in my stomach much like period pain that came roughly every 20 minutes or so. At that point I assumed this was something to do with early labour, but I also knew that this could start days before you give birth, so I didn’t worry about it too much. I headed down the street to grab a canvas for my painting, a coffee plunger for Aaron and some snacks (If it was labour, I was definitely using that for an excuse to get more snacks!!) While I was down the street I started taking screen shots of the time the sensations were occurring. Once home I started my painting and messaged Aaron to let him know that things might be happening but stay at work for now as it may not be anything. I also messaged my sister Gina to see if she could come and do my hair I really wanted to wear two Dutch brains into hospital because they look awesome and the most practical way to deal with long hair in messy situations. Gina is also interested in working in Obstetrics and Gynaecology when she finishes her Medicine Degree so I figured it would be good experience for her too. I sat on my gym ball and started the base colours for the painting and getting the figures as I wanted them. While I did this the sensations because more frequent and intense but I knew I needed to stay calm and relaxed as this could be a long journey. Around 1:30 I realised this was continuing to get more intense and it was unlikely I would make it out the horses that day so I let my mates know. When Gina arrived she just sat with me and chatted while I painted and braided up my hair of course! I called Aaron from work around 3:30 but let him know it was nothing too bad and he didn’t need to freak out or rush (not that Aaron is the kind of person to freak out). I also contacted the on-call midwife just to let her know where things were up to. Once Aaron was home we all went for a walk with the dog and this is when I had to start breathing through the contractions as they were picking up in intensity by now. After the walk Aaron made sure the baby capsule was in the car and the all the hospital bags were packed. While he was out in the car I remember talking with Gina about something and then saying ‘Hmm I think I feel a little sick’. So she offered to get a bucket and I moved towards the bathroom when all of a sudden I projectile vomited all up the hallway. It was impressive - if I do say so myself, I even hit a photo frame that’s at least 1m from the ground! I had to yell for Aaron to come in and help us out. This was the next point that I had to add a new strategy to my contractions and started counting to 8 in a rhythmic pattern throughout each contraction. I remember laughing at the mammoth vomit and then having to count during the contractions and then thanking Aaron and Gina for cleaning it up for me. Aaron tried to encourage me to eat some dinner but I was not really able to eat much. I think this was around the time Gina headed off. By this stage I was also stepping with the contractions. Focusing on the beat of my feet, breathing, and counting to 8. I also got Aaron to stamp his feet and count in time with me. It worked really well to keep me focused, calm and get through each contraction. We were also timing the contractions on an app to see how long they lasted and how far apart they were. When I vomited for the second time (and landed it in the bucket winning !!) Aaron was worried I might he dehydrated so called the midwife again. She said to wait until the contractions were consistent in duration, were 3 in 10 minutes and I was making sounds like I couldn’t handle it before we went into hospital. She also gave my advice to keep sipping water, maybe have a shower or bath and try and relax my shoulders and hands during contractions. I remember yelling out to Aaron ‘You’re not stamping!’ when I had a contraction during the phone call because he had stopped stamping to talk to the midwife. So I added the relaxed hands and shoulders to my routine of stepping and counting and breathing. I am pretty certain that this is were I looked like I was imitating the Haka as I had bend legs, stepping from side to side, counting in rhythm and to keep my hands open I was shimmying them diagonally across my body. Aaron did a great job at not laughing and continuing to count with me. At one point he changed the numbers he was counting with from ‘1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and’ to ‘1, 2, 3, 4, 5 . . .’ and I yell out ‘NOT 5!!!’ I was worried about the car ride to the hospital as I had tried sitting on the gym ball and could not get through a contraction without jumping up to step my feet. So I suggested to Aaron that we practice some contractions lying down and clap instead of stamping. This was ok for the first two but the third was incredibly overwhelming. It lasted for much longer than the others and was very intense I started to really feel the pain and thought ‘I cant do this’ for the first time and bellowed I’m sure people three blocks away could have heard. Once it was over I thought I needed to get my confidence back before trying to lay down or sit again. However, the next contraction was different. I felt the obvious ‘urge to push’ (it really does feel like doing a poo!). I knew this sensation was the 2nd part of active labour and was supposed to happen in the hospital. I tried to pant with my breath to slow the urge to push as suggested in Juju’s book but the natural mechanisms to push the baby out were much stronger. Aaron quickly rang the midwife and she asked to listen to my contraction. As the contraction was occurring, I recall yelling into the phone ‘I’m trying to suck me bum-hole up but it’s not working !!!’. On hearing my guttural vocalisations she suggested we try and get to the hospital immediately and pull over and call an ambulance if the baby came sooner. So my interpretation of ‘immediately’ is wasting 3-4 minutes running around trying to find my pair of slippers !! so that was the third pushing contraction. The fourth occurred just before I got in the car. The fifth happened in the car on Brighton Avenue Toronto and this was when my waters broke, and I am 90% certain that’s where the baby’s head came out. I was leaning over the centre console, so I didn’t crush the baby urging Aaron the pull over. Unfortunately, this piece of road has no where safe to pull over for another 500 meter. Once we got into the car park of Goffet Park I flung the door open and ripped the trackies off one leg (I’m kind of glad this was 9pm at night and no-one was really around! Also glad the trackies were Aaron’s pair not mine !). I remember seeing Aaron on the phone walking away and having two thoughts: Logical Brain he must be getting the street address for the ambulance. Emotional Brain where the heck are you going !?!?!. So in a car park in Toronto, right foot in the foot well, leaning over the centre console on my right elbow, left hand between my legs was where the the sixth and final push happened. I grabbed the baby with my left hand as she came out and remember seeing this little head just fall to one side and thinking ‘ah no ! support the head’. I pulled her up onto my chest and removed my shirt so she could be skin-on-skin. The baby cried immediately so I figured it was fine and the cord was looped behind its neck but was not around its neck. Aaron un-looped the cord and grabbed us a towel as the ambulance rocked up. And that’s how Miss Eden Iris Elton-Percival entered the world She weighed 3.125kg and was born at 9:01 on the 28/05/2020. The midwives guess my labour was about 4 hours of active labour but it’s hard to tell as the contractions never actually got to a consistent duration and frequency. Below is the painting that I never got to finish.

22.01.2022 Excited to announce that we are offering a new class The Fourth Trimester - Parenting with confidence. Over the last two years of running birth classes we have asked for feedback from attendees and one thing that is often mentioned is how they wish they had known more about what to expect AFTER they had their baby. The first 3 months of your baby being earthside, the transition to a new role for you and a new family dynamic.... We created this intimate class to provide skills & education as a way to help alleviate any worries or anxiety that new parents may feel. We want you to leave feeling empowered & ready to prepare a gentle fourth trimester. We cover everything you need to know to have a positive 4th trimester experience including: Class content: * The golden hour * The breast crawl * Breastfeeding * Babywearing * Infant sleep * Postnatal recovery & depletion * Hormones & bonding with baby * Settling & swaddling techniques Time: 9am - 12pm Cost: $50 We have scheduled the Fourth Trimester class for the Sunday after our monthly birth classes, you can do the parenting class on its own or bundled with the birth class, totally up to you! You can even attend after you have had your baby and wanting to learn more. Click here for class dates https://www.illawarrabirthclasses.com.au/bookings

20.01.2022 High temperatures predicted over this weekend ...

17.01.2022 Breastfeeding and alcohol While it’s ideal to not consume alcohol while you’re breastfeeding, some families cite wanting to drink alcohol from time-to-time a...s a reason for weaning. This needn’t be the case and here’s a few tips for how you can enjoy a drink and not interrupt your breastfeeding. 1. Understand how it works. Alcohol travels into and out of the milk freely. Alcohol content is the same in the milk as it is in the blood. Alcohol reaches the milk by about 30-60 mins after drinking, the level peaks then decreases eventually to nothing. 2. Be prepared. If you’re in a situation where you’d like to drink a plan ahead and drink around your baby’s feeds. Depending on your baby’s age and how predictable their feeds are, you may be able to gauge how many drinks and how far apart they can be. If you plan on a big night of drinking, in the lead up you can express extra breast milk that your baby can drink while your body is eliminating the alcohol. 3. Getting rid of the alcohol. Pump and dump is out. The only thing that gets rid of the alcohol content is time as your blood filters the milk. If you pump and remove the milk in your breast while there is alcohol in your blood, it will simply be replaced by milk with alcohol in it. Just wait until time has passed. 4.Make safe decisions. If a parent or carer has been drinking they may be more likely to make risky decisions about things like safe sleep practices or drink driving. Be aware of your actions under the influence. If you have unintentionally had too many drinks or your baby needs to feed before enough time has passed you CAN feed your baby. The Australian Breastfeeding Association even has an app Feed Safe you can use to help watch the timing of your drinks and feeding. Cheers to a safe and happy Christmas that is full of happy and safe breastfeeding families.

06.01.2022 We love hearing from our couples to let us know their baby has been born and how their birth went. We especially love getting all the photos of gorgeous squishy newborns (Our class on 31st August is sold out but we have a few spots left for September and October. Click the link in our bio to book )

04.01.2022 Let's talk informed consent in pregnancy and birth. Swipe to see the difference. . Did you know that it is your legal right to give or refuse informed cons...ent for any/all procedures/treatments/interventions during your pregnancy and birth. Just as it is at any time. . Being pregnant or being in labour does not remove your legal right to informed consent. . But let's be really clear on what informed consent is and isn't. . Telling you what is happening is not informed consent. Adding an 'ok?' on the end does not make it informed consent. . Using medical language the birthing person does not understand, using fear-based tactics, coercion or putting pressure on to make a decision - not informed consent. . Informed consent must be given by a competent person (pregnancy and birth does not deem you incompetent), it must be given freely with an understanding of what it is be given for, it is valid for that procedure only (giving consent for an internal exam once does not mean you have given consent for all future exams) and can be withdrawn at any time. . Informed consent means having a conversation at your level about the risks, benefits and alternatives of whatever is being suggested. . Remember, you have the right to refuse consent and 'I do not consent' is a powerful sentence. No justification needed . What was your experience of informed consent during pregnancy and birth? . . . #informedbirth #informedconsent #birthmatters #birthmonopoly #hypnobirthingaustralia #hypnobirthingperth #perthmumsandbubs #pregnantinperth #duein2020 #duein2021 #dueinnovember #dueinseptember #empoweredbirth See more