My amazing 2nd hypnobub, Sadie

The Birth of Sadie Dorothy Jackson

19.9.16 2045pm

4250g, 51cm long and 35cm head.

We found out we were pregnant not long after New Years Eve, it was something we had wanted for a while and were super excited to be expecting a sibling for Jude.

The pregnancy was lovely again, although there was a fair bit of nausea in the first trimester, and pregnancy with a toddler is just exhaustion but on a whole different level. I really felt like I would go early this time around, I had been practicing my hypnobirthing and our space was ready. Gabe (my husband) had to have some surgery when I was around 38weeks, and I think that put a hold on anything that may have started anyway. After 40weeks I was very ready to meet the baby, we didn’t know if it was a boy or a girl, but Jude had been telling us it was a baby girl the whole way through. We of course didn’t believe him as Gabe’s family hadn’t had a girl born for 65years. I had lots of acupuncture and chiro throughout my last trimester and really amped it up in the last couple of weeks to try and get more comfortable but also to encourage baby out.

We were again planning for a home birth and had the most lovely midwife and back up midwife, we had also decided on having a student midwife follow us and our gorgeous friend Adele was coming to be Jude’s support person. Our birth team was amazing. Poor Adele was meant to be in Adelaide and decided to stay behind as this baby still hadn’t made an appearance by the time she was meant to leave. Super lucky us!!

On the morning of the 19th of September at 40+6 weeks, I was very teary as Gabe left for work, I really couldn’t bare the thought of another day chasing a two year old being this pregnant. I was very ready for the baby to come.

As I was getting Jude’s breakfast ready I felt a gush and went of to the toilet, hoping it was my waters. It wasn’t my waters, but it was blood. I called my midwife who advised me to head into delivery suite and get checked over. I started to cry as I thought my homebirth plans might be out the window. I dropped Jude at our lovely friend Olivia’s and headed in. When I got there I was really lucky because the Reg on was a good friend and she was like oh Nic I’m sure you’re just in labour. We did a CTG to make sure baby was ok and the Dr offered a stretch and sweep. As I had decided I was going to have stretch and sweep if I got to 41 weeks, and I was 40+6, I agreed. I was 3cm but stretched up to 4-5cm, definitely having a baby soon (this is exactly what happened when I had a stretch and sweep with Jude’s pregnancy).

I left the hospital and headed to Olivia’s to pick up Jude, she couldn’t believe I was just walking around as if nothing was happening at 4-5cm LOL.

I got Jude home and it was nap time, of course today of all days he didn’t want to nap. I was having consistent surges, still only mild, but was finding it hard to have patience waiting for him to be ready for bed. I messaged Gabe to tell him to come home. By the time Gabe got home both me and Jude were napping. I awoke and popped my TENS machine on and found that now I had to use my Surge breathing during each surge.

Gabe and Jude set about setting up the birth space and I sat on the birth ball close by, I felt like I couldn’t stand because the baby would fall out? Odd feeling.

Adele was messaging at around 4.30pm asking if she should come but I wasn’t sure, Gabe said ‘tell her to come now’. So she came over and helped Gabe feed and bathe Jude. I had called my midwife around 5pm when things started to amp up and asked her to come at 7pm so that Jude would be in bed and he wouldn’t get too excited with new people coming in.

By 6.30pm the TENS wasn’t cutting it anymore and I wanted to get in the pool but I knew that Jude would want to get in with me, he wasn’t liking the surges and saying ‘no sleep mummy’ everytime I closed my eyes to breathe. So Adele and Gabe got Jude to bed early and I jumped in the pool as soon as he was down.

The midwives and our student midwife all arrived at 6.45pm and everything fizzled a little as my space was disrupted and I had just jumped into the pool.

It didn’t take long for the surges to return, they were 5 minutes apart but they were strong. I was leaning forward in the pool but finding it hard to ‘flop’ and relax in this position, Adele suggested a position change and I leant back and found that was a better position for me.

The surges didn’t get any closer together but they got stronger and stronger. I was able to maintain my hypnobirthing during surges and able to come back into the room and have a laugh in between. After each surge I was saying things like ‘ohhh that on was an a**hole’, and everyone was looking at me like are you serious you look so calm LOL.

I started to get pressure in my bottom that wasn’t going away and I told my midwife and she suggested that it was probably just my waters as they had not broken yet. That made sense to me and I went back into focus. With the next surge I found I needed to moan on the out breathe and my waters burst in the pool with a big pop. I was happy to hear the waters were clear but I was also a bit scared as I knew the pushing would start now.

And I was right with the next surge that uncontrollable pushing reflex started, I breathed through as long as I could (saying no no no no LOL) and then my body would take over and heave. I felt bubs head start to crown and I popped my hand down to slow her exit as Jude shot out so fast. 4 surges later and I had a baby, I picked her up and brought her to my chest with Gabe’s help, I was talking to her and blowing in her face, I started to unravel her from her cord and got distracted by her legs and what might have been between them. I had a peek and was super shocked to see it was a girl (I really really was convinced it was a boy). She took a while to start crying and Gabe and I just spoke to her and blew in her face. Every now and then I would look up and say ‘it’s a girl!!’.

As we were waiting for my placenta the pains were really strong and I found it hard to concentrate on anything else. After about half an hour in the pool I got out and coughed my placenta out with the help of my midwives.

I didn’t need any stitches and I was so happy about that, we called our families and had some snacks.

Bub looked huge, and as Jude had been 4.08kg I was eager to know her weight, after everyone having a guess, she weighed in at 4.25kg!

Everyone left at around 1am and we snuggled into bed, I was too excited to sleep but it was so lovely snuggling in our bed with a new baby.

When Jude woke in the morning, we were super excited to introduce him to bubba. He knew that the baby was here because after watching YouTube videos, he knew the pool meant baby was here.

I asked him if he wanted to meet our baby, and he said ‘ok’ and toddled off to our room to see the baby. He walked in and couldn’t stop saying WOW, and kissing her. It was instant love.

We feel so blessed to be able to experience such amazing births twice now. I know that a lot of it has to do with all the preparations I put into birthing such as hypnobirthing, acupuncture, chiro, exercise and positive mindsets. But I do know that some of it comes down to luck and for that I am forever grateful. I am also very grateful to my birthing team who were perfect for me and the space I had envisaged. And of course my beautiful husband who supports all of my crazy ideas and works with me to prepare for our perfect birthing experiences.