Tayla Donaldson’s Healing Home Birth
I went to bed on my due date feeling at peace that my baby hadn’t come yet. After going 6 days over with my first I had let all expectations go and snuggled down next to my two year old Daisy and husband Logan. A few hours later at 00:28am I rolled over in bed (a big task at 40 weeks pregnant) and felt a small gush. Wondering if I had wet myself or if that was my waters I got up, changed and put a pad on. Logan woke and asked what was happening. I said I wasn’t sure but to go back to sleep.
I went downstairs and ate a bowl of Weetbix and a banana before going back to bed, knowing I would need the energy.10 minutes later I felt my first surge. Then 5 minutes later, another. I put my headphones in, turned on a calm birth playlist on Spotify and rode each wave as they washed over me. I breathed in and out slowly, and lightly ran my fingers up and down my arms. All the while Daisy and Logan slept next to me.
Around 4:30am I felt the need to get up and move around. I went downstairs and started picking up my daughter’s toys, and clearing the living room that would become my birthing space. I woke my mum up at 5am and asked her to put my TENS machine on my back. I found this a great help in both of my labours. At 6am my best friend arrived for extra support.
Logan was still in bed with Daisy. I moved around between the bathroom and the living room until I found I needed to be down on all fours. My mother in law came to take Daisy and Logan got stuck in to hip squeezes.
My wonderful midwife Julie arrived around 8am and the overwhelming urge to push started to take over. She gently guided me to breathe through this feeling, to allow my body to stretch slowly, and also to give the second midwife time to arrive.
By 8:45am I knew baby wasn’t far away.
The second midwife Bec arrived and I let my body completely take over. I had a birthing pool set up but I knew I wouldn’t make it in there at this point. My previous birth was complicated by shoulder dystocia, which my midwife was very aware of, so she also encouraged me to stay where I was.
I pushed through the final, most intense moments of my labour and our second baby girl was born at 9:00am on 15/11/2024.
A beautiful, healing experience for me and my family, after my previous hospital birth that had been filled with intervention and restrictions. I would choose home birth again and again
Tayla Donaldson
