First time mum homebirth & low lying placenta || Hannah's birth of Lottie at home (South Australia)

Episode 44 is shared by Hannah in South Australia, who is a first time mum that chose to homebirth with her baby Charlotte (Lottie). Amazingly, Hannah already knew of private midwifery prior to becoming pregnant and so already had a head start in finding homebirth. She also shares how educating herself through podcasts and books helped her to avoid an unnecessary c-section which was recommended to her at 32 weeks due to a low lying placenta. 

Connect with me, Elsie, the host :)

www.birthingathome.com.au

@birthingathome_apodcast

birthingathome.apodcast@gmail.com

Resources: 

• Great Birth Rebellion - Low Lying Placentas https://www.melaniethemidwife.com/podcasts/the-great-birth-rebellion/episodes/2148558295
• Hypnobirthing online https://hypnobirthingaustralia.com.au/hypnobubs-hypnobirthing-online-course/?gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjw-ai0BhDPARIsAB6hmP6bAmWmnDEeZElnUwtbCx_p2W7wjNoVrY2f31MpSZnQQ_0ebg1YwF8aAtOBEALw_wcB
• Osteopathy in Pregnancy (not specifically spoken about but in the context of sciatica) https://www.melaniethemidwife.com/podcasts/the-great-birth-rebellion/episodes/2148319641
• Gas/Nitrous Oxide in Labour https://evidencebasedbirth.com/nitrous-oxide-during-labor/
• Spinning Babies https://www.spinningbabies.com/
• Breast Crawl https://www.breastfeeding.asn.au/resources/baby-led-attachment
• Marginal Cord Insertion https://www.melaniethemidwife.com/podcasts/the-great-birth-rebellion/episodes/2147942648

Transcript

0:02

Hi everyone, welcome to Birthing at Home, a podcast. I'm Elsie, your host. I'm a home birth mom of two little boys. I'm a mental health nurse, the co -creator of Home Birth Victoria, and I'm a Melbourne based doula. If you want to learn more about me, the podcast, or my work, check out www.birthingathome .com .au. And before we begin today, I would like to acknowledge the Wurundjeri people who are the traditional custodians of the land I'm recording on in Nam. Melbourne, Australia. I would also like to acknowledge the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have been birthing at home on country for tens of thousands of years prior to the British invasion and acknowledge that sovereignty has never been ceded. Welcome to episode 44 of the podcast. Today we hear from Hannah in South Australia who shares her first time mum home birth story with baby Lottie. Amazingly, Hannah already knew of private midwifery prior to becoming pregnant and so already had a head start in finding home birth. In this episode, she also shares how educating herself through podcasts and books helped her to avoid an unnecessary C-section, which was recommended to her at 32 weeks due to a low lying placenta. I hope you enjoyed this episode and don't forget if you haven't already, please rate and review it on Apple podcasts or Spotify. Every rating interview really, really helps the podcast. Enjoy. Welcome Hannah to Birthing at Home, a podcast. Hi, Elsie. It's so lovely to chat with you. You too. And you're joining me today from somewhere in South Australia. Yes, Adelaide. Adelaide. Nice. And I'm really excited to speak to you today because I can see like even, obviously the listeners can't see the video. But you're, you look really excited to tell your story because you only had your baby girl, did you say eight weeks ago? Yeah. Yeah. Eight weeks on the Thursday gone. Yeah. So that's very fresh. do you want to give a bit of a background about who you are, who's in your family? Obviously you're in Adelaide, but that kind of stuff. Yeah, absolutely. So, yeah, I'm Hannah. live in Adelaide with my husband, Adam, and, we have a little girl called Charlotte who we call Lottie. Cute. and I guess like to get right into it, like briefly before we started recording, you were saying that, you know, you'd been interested in pregnancy and stuff for a while, but I guess going all the way back, like what was your experience growing up around like your perceptions of birth and pregnancy? Do you remember? Yeah. Well, I'm the oldest of four. and my mom, had all four of us in the hospital, but all very straightforward, low intervention and quite, my mom's quite small, but four big babies, really successful. So yeah, that was, I guess, my knowledge growing up really. And yeah, as I got older, I always thought you delivered in a hospital and that's what you did. And then it wasn't until sort of Yeah, quite a few years ago, I think probably when I met my husband and knew that he was going to be my person. It's sort of being really interested in pregnancy and birth and, and yeah, I guess sort of doing it the way women have done it for so many years. And yeah. And did you know like about home birth or had you heard of home birth or, you know, birthing at home, you know, before this whole journey? think so. It was really I was doing you know my research and looking into things that it was a possibility and then I think I sort of went that step further and looked into if it was possible in South Australia and it was so from I guess that point on again around the time I met my husband it was sort of something that I always had in my mind and yeah and really that desire only got only got stronger until yeah we had our little one. Yeah amazing and sorry, what did you say your partner's name is? Adam. Adam. And so like thinking about like becoming pregnant and you know, that whole journey like to birth and whatnot and, like, you know, your knowledge, but like thinking about like Adam's response to something like that, I, I'd really, really keen to talk to Adam, at another point, but like from your, your perspective, what was his? like initial kind of response to birthing at home. gosh. It was an absolute no. I had planted the seeds quite early in our relationship really. And it was always a no. I guess my point to him or, you know, you know, what I talked to him about was, okay, well go out and do your own research. And then if it's still a no, then obviously we can talk that out together. But I think he was just, You know, you deliver in a hospital and that's the safest place to deliver in a hospital and it's something for me in particular that I just, I didn't feel like I would be safe in a hospital. And then really I, so I guess we, I found out we got, I found out we got pregnant. I peed on the stick. The day after I rang my midwife. I didn't even know at this point, but I rang the midwife and I had this wonderful chat with her. And then I obviously ended up telling Adam, but we met with the midwife quite early on and that was from that. He said that was it. He just knew straight away. He could see how relaxed I was. He could see how wonderful she was. And essentially that you're not, I think he had it in his head that you deliver at home and there's no help and things go wrong, there's no help and all of these things. So once he saw and once he heard that that was going to be done really well, He never looked back. And now, now that we've been through it, he's a massive, massive advocate. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. That's amazing. That's so interesting. So you peed on a stick and you already had a midwife in mind. Yeah. Yeah. Wow. Yeah. So how did that whole, so you were planning to have a home birth or at least have private midwifery care before you were even pregnant? Yeah, absolutely. Yeah, absolutely. That's sort of all the research I'd done had led me to that point. I found this private midwife on social media on Instagram. She attends to like the southern end and we're sort of on the southern end of Adelaide. We just knew straight away. So yeah, it rang her the day after I peed on that stick and we had a wonderful, wonderful chat. And yeah, there was really no looking back from that. Yeah. like through that whole process of deciding on private midwifery care and you know, whatnot. Did you connect with anyone else that had had home birth or had private midwives or like that sort of community? No, not really. Sort of no one, I guess, close to me or anyone that I knew had had done it or really talked about it. So I guess that's where sort of, you know, I was filling my, my knowledge and all of that with podcasts and research books and, and that sort of thing. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. do you know people now having had Lottie that have had home births? Still no, except my sister actually gave birth at home for her second. wow. It's before Lottie was born and my midwife was her backup. my goodness. Whoa. That's pretty cool. So that was pretty amazing, pretty special. My niece and Lottie were born in the same poll, so that was pretty cool. What? that's so cool. Pretty special. But yeah, she had her first in hospital, but I mean, I guess she herself would talk that it probably wasn't ideal, and that's what she went to see her, a home birth a second time. So we got to sort of do that journey together, but you know, having her sort of actually go through it first was quite amazing. Yeah. Wow. So what was your pregnancy journey like with Lottie then? I loved being pregnant. I absolutely loved it. The first like, I guess, trimester, that sort of horrible nausea, hangover feeling constantly, but I was lucky enough where it did pass, you know, by the end of the first trimester. Second trimester was absolutely amazing and right up until my third as well. The only sort of thing of note really, because it was pretty much a textbook pregnancy, was at my 20 -week scan they found that I had a low -lying placenta. Yeah, sorry, continue. So it was just abutting my cervix at the time. Yeah. But sort of didn't really think anything of it knew that I moved my midwife, you know, explained it to me and I was like, yeah, that's fine. Yeah. Had a follow up scan at 32 weeks, I think, which was the scan that my midwife can order in the third trimester. Yeah. I had that one and it was still sitting within the 20 mil. So I think it was 11 mil that it was sitting at. And essentially my midwife just explained to me what that meant. And again, she was really confident. She was going, it'll still move. We've got time. But what that meant was to get a follow-up scan, you know, to be free. We link with the local hospital. that scan but she explained that to me we're going together or at least for the appointment I think to link in with the hospital or the scan or yeah anyway I can't quite remember sort of you know the timeline of that really but having the other like an appointment with the local hospital which was with an OB there and it was really interesting because I'd actually listened to the Great Birth Rebellion, that like the podcast had come out on low line placentas the day before. And so I'd listened to it and then I'd had this appointment the day after to link with the hospital. And we, I'm so glad that the timing just worked out really well to listen to that podcast and to give me that knowledge because I went into that appointment and the OB went placentas low lying or booking for a C -section straight away. What? given the knowledge that I had and I guess the studies that were done and the percentage of women that you know where it does move and then you know that sort of thing. And I basically just said, no, no, I'll wait. We really had to push for this to get that follow -up scan. She just was like, no, they really don't move. The evidence suggested otherwise and that's what I was talking to her about. And I left that appointment. I felt really good in the appointment, but we left it and my midwife went, you did really well. And I just went, Can I burst into tears now? Yeah. It sort of really did shake me. Yeah. But, and I just said, no thanks. I don't want to book in for the C -section at the moment. She really did try to sort of push it going, you know, we've got to book you in, then you won't get the time that you want or the day that you want. And anyway, I just went, no, thank you. And we left. And I didn't book a follow -up appointment at the time there, but I did have the scan. Yeah. The two or the three weeks later, I had the scan and my placenta had moved well and surely out of the way. That makes me so frustrated. I can't quite remember because I think the guidelines have changed. You might know better than me, but I think it has to be at least 25 mil or 30 mil, like two and a half or three centimetres away from the os, which is like the opening of the cervix. Yeah, but how frustrating and how good on you. That's amazing. Yeah, it, it certainly, like I said, it certainly shook me. having that background, that knowledge, that ability to advocate for myself and also having my midwife to, when they, cause they don't have admitting rights to this particular, local hospital, but just simply having her there, just gave me that. drinks. And I guess she would sort of prompt me at times if I sort of felt like I had missed something. But yeah, it was it was certainly a sort of stressful week and a half. And then we got that that scan back and it was all I had in the back of my mind for those two weeks was just, yeah, just that 20 mil, we just got to be outside 20. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah. Madness. And were there any other like, particular resources that you used or did you do any specific birth education kind of stuff during your pregnancy, especially with Adam? Yeah, so we did the hypnobirthing course online. Cool. Just because our schedule sort of didn't line up for in -person classes, but we did that online, which was good. And that was really, really helpful. Those tracks I'd listen to pretty much every day. you know, where I could, particularly before, you know, bed at night was really good. And then a girlfriend of mine gave me like two full bags of these pregnancy, breastfeeding, you know, childcare, all of these, these books. And I just essentially went through them. The picked and chose which ones were relevant to what I needed to know, or even if I was curious about something and, and yeah, sort of spent the pregnancy going through those books as well. Yeah. Yep. That's brilliant. Just pausing here to thank the July sponsor, Bimby and Roy. They describe their products as versatile intimates that adapt to your everyday. But they are also the unofficial outfit of labor and birth for women across Australia. Was anyone else counting their appearance in the Born at Home film? In my first labor and birth, I unexpectedly found myself completely naked, which is fine. But when planning my labor and birth for Frankie, I knew Bimby and Roy would be my outfit. They are perfect for the sweat and water that labor so often involves. And because of their ability to dry quickly, you can wear them comfortably no matter where you're laboring. You can check out all of their beautiful designs yourself at bimbyandroy .com .au. Enjoy. What do you guys do for work? Adam has, he's just gone into real estate. He's had a career change after 10 odd years as a teacher. And my background is as a physio. I've worked in aged care pretty much my whole career, but more recently moved into work as a dementia consultant. So like, yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah. Okay. Wow. And did you decline, especially since you were listening to the great birth rebellion, did you decline like any particular tests or any extra stuff? Yeah. So the GBS, I never really, I don't think I sort of specifically declined it. Obviously my midwife and I come to develop a really great relationship, but that was something to have. And in terms of the, I didn't go and do the gestational, like that sort of the glucose test as such. We started off by just, I did the glucometer and the plug. so I did that. I think I had two readings that were sort of bang on. and so essentially following on from that, like my wife wasn't concerned, but following on from that, we did the fasting. I think I did a fasting blood test and it was all fine. I guess not declined, but we just did a different version of it. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And as a first time mom, not being like super connected with at least a local home birth sort of community. did you have any particular like fears or like concerns or worries that you really had to like put a bit more, energy into overcoming or, you know, addressing? Look, not really. I'm sure I did, but I just had this real innate confidence in my body to be able to do something like this. I was lucky enough to have a very low risk pregnancy and very straightforward pregnancy. And I think that sort of, I guess, you know, reiterated to me that this was, I was on the right path. If things had come up, I certainly wouldn't have been stupid or careless. Also, you know, Adam knew that too. I think that was important for him to know that it was, I was just so steadfast and we were going to do it regardless of, you know, any risks that pop up. But I just, I really can't explain it any more than I just had this confidence. I didn't have any fear. And essentially just surrounding myself with positive stories just added to the cup really, you know. toolbox and but I never really had any had any fears about it. I think my fears are around how Adam might go. Yeah. And how you know to support him through the pregnancy for when labor did start and what to expect but he was absolutely unreal. So. Yeah. Yeah. Amazing. Nothing to fear but yeah I was just so I yeah I can't explain it was so incredibly confident. Yeah. Yeah. and so at what point did you stop work? I was going to stop at 36, but I ended up stopping at 35, with the, I guess everything that was just happening and yeah, placenta and whatnot. I'm not that there was any reason to, you know, I never had any bleeding. I never had any reason, I guess to, that that would be a concern, but. it just worked out that I finished it. Yeah. Yeah. And how many weeks did you have Lottie? I was 40 and 4. Yeah. Okay. Was there anything in particular like you did during that like five -ish weeks of mat leave to, I guess, like prepare for the birth or like prepare postpartum? Yeah. So, I mean, well, first of all, it was the absolute heat of summer. was so pregnant so I really tried to do as little as possible in just because I found I was just so uncomfortable. Yeah. But that was pre pregnancy. It wasn't something that sort of came on through pregnancy. Yeah. But I did I was seeing the like I'm seeing a physio. I'm seeing a chiro. Saw acupuncturist. Yeah. Yeah just essentially. got the house ready, was nesting, cleaning the skirting boards and the fan and all. Yeah, absolutely. Exactly what very pregnant people should be doing. Absolutely. But yeah, that was that was pretty much it. Trying to stay. I did the pool a lot, obviously, or I went down to the beach just because it was so hot. But I got I think about 35, 36 weeks really bad sun ashica. so the chiro, the physio was helping with that. I wore a belt for it, like a pelvic belt for a little bit. The pull essentially allowed me to keep moving and stay cool, but keep moving, right up until yeah, the day I gave birth really. And in the lead up to going into labor, like proper later labor with Lottie, did you have like any like signs of labor or signs that your body like was getting ready or? look not not really until the two days beforehand and then so I gave birth on a Thursday on the Tuesday I guess yeah right up until the end I was quite active I remember pressure hosing my husband's barbecue that we used twice a year my gosh there was just nothing and I thought I'm just going to keep going until I feel something and that's exactly what happened so On the Tuesday, I had sort of very mild period cramp feelings. And I had a Cairo appointment that day and I'd had an acupuncture appointment that day. And so I'd let them both know. I said, look, I've just, you know, I think it's nothing. I think I'm still weeks away, whether that was sort of denial kicking in. But yeah, and then on the Wednesday, it was the period pain was probably a bit stronger. I had a girlfriend over at home during the day and I remember talking to her and feeling the sensations. I'm not saying anything about feeling the sensation, but again, I was like, I'm a week away. Like, you know, don't get excited. And then on the Wednesday night, I got sleep, but it was disturbed. But I don't remember thinking like, I need to get sleep because things are happening. It was just like, no, again, I'm still a week away. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, that was pretty much, yeah. after the Wednesday, the Thursday morning was when things started to kick off. But even then I was in, yeah, like I'm still a week away. I told my husband to go to work. He's going, I don't know. And I'm going, go to work, it's fine. It's fine. Yeah, yeah. Yeah, yeah. I lost my mucus bug on the Tuesday when things started to happen. So I think in my head, I was like, no, women lose their mucus bug like weeks before. Like don't, you know, don't use that as a sign. Yeah. Yeah. And then continued, I think to be in denial. right up until about two hours before she was born. Yeah. Wow. And so, labor sort of. started in the sense that the periods sort of cramping that you were getting just intent gradually intensified and built. Yeah, absolutely. So that that morning I said go to work and he and Adam had said, no, look, I'm going to work from home today. He said, but I've got two things I definitely need to be at. And I was like, my God, absolutely. That's fine. I think it was 11 and four o 'clock. Yeah, that's fine. And I. In those early stages, I thought I might have wanted to watch my favorite movies or TV shows or whatever, but I ended up just listening to the Hypno -Birthing tracks. Just on the couch, I'd gotten onto all fours sort of quite early on and just swayed and I'd had a speaker headphone thing. So I sort of put it across my eyes, was on all fours on the mattress, sort of half mattress, half couch. And I stayed there as things intensified. yeah, that was, it was certainly coming in the surges. but again, I think still at that point I was like, my gosh. Yeah. Yeah. But yeah, it just intensified. Yeah. Yeah. And I guess, you know, as a first time mom as well, you'd been doing like the Hypno Birth tracks and really like connecting with that. is that. the main thing that you feel like that you used through like, the surges or contractions or intensities or whatever you would like to call them like to get through it or did you use, did you have a, you did have a birth pool. Did you have, did you use like a tens or co or anything like that? Yeah. And the current I had the car. had the tens, what I did the best bowl for a little like a gimbal for love it. honest through I really thought I would be someone who liked movement throughout labor but I just found that I just wanted to sway on all fours. I hung Adam I guess it's the day progressed I hung off Adam for a few surges but didn't love it. it was really just the swaying on all fours that that I found a lot of comfort and then yes, things really intensified across the course of the day. I found that sort of butting my head into, we've got sort of got this soft Ottoman. That's, I guess that's the little bit of movement and distraction that I use, but yeah, the hypnobirthing tracks through those surges and those sayings. I think I had the one, you know, the one track on that I just found that I related to the best for most of that day. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Wow. And so Adam has his, important meeting thing at 11 and at four. So what kind of day, what kind of time of day do you think or do you remember it being like when things sort of were like, okay, you know, maybe we need to call the midwife or like, you know. Yeah. Yeah. So I think the first call to the midwife was at 10 .30. And I think it was, I think it was me. I just said, look, just give her a call just in case. So we did that. I didn't want a clock or the time anywhere near me, because I thought I'd probably focus on it, and it worked out really well. But it just means that I had to go back and look at my notes, because I had no idea what time anything was. So I think I called at 10 .30. He did his, I think it ended up being his own meeting, turning into his own meeting at 11. Again, I was just on my own for that bit. And then I think the other call was at 1.30. And by this point, I think I'd started to vocalize and she could hear it in the background and then she'd come back and say, yep, doing well, keep going. And then the next call was at 3 .30. Again, I was vocalizing a lot more and I think in a couple of my searches I'd felt the need to push, which was a bit of a, it became a bit of a fear because I didn't. want to push to it. Here's me thinking I'm still a week away and going, I don't want to push too early and then fatigue, cervix and all of these things happen. Last call was at 3 .30 and she arrived at four o 'clock. So he, she got here and then, but I was saying to Adam, go, go do your meeting, go do your meeting. And yeah, he went off and did it. He was only 10 minutes or so. And I was like, no, no, I remember being lucid enough to, to say that. she was there and the second midwife, wonderful second midwife was there as well at that time. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And so it was Adam, yourself and the two midwives. Yeah. Yeah. Didn't even really notice the second mid, you know, that's how amazing they are. They sort of just creep in and do their thing. But obviously, yeah, I guess by this point I'd needed Adam. I was sort of squeezing his hand on on surges and obviously he was with me, he was not in the other room. But when she got there, I obviously had someone to do that with and then he came back and we sort of continued as is. And then, yeah, by this point, I think when she got there, she could see that things were moving along and had a bit of knowledge of how things were progressing. So the position that I was in on the couch in all fours, on a mattress was where the birth pool was going to be, just where the hose could reach from the kit. So we pulled over the empty birth pool, they pulled over the empty birth pool and put it there. And then I moved over to another position still on the mattress. And that's sort of where I had my head against the ottoman. And then I think I had laid down for a period of time because I can remember saying, my hips and my knees are just it. So I was on my side and that's where my waters broke. Yeah. Wow. Yeah. Yeah. waters broke, I think it was around about five o 'clock. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. and sorry, if the, so they started to set up the pool around that same time. Yeah. Pretty much when she got there. Yeah. yeah. So they got there at four, the, I lost my waters at five. Again, I'm just back in reading all of this. And then I would have gotten in the pool not long after, I reckon. I think I was in the pool for about an hour, could have been an hour and a half before birth. Yeah. So she was born in the water. Yeah. amazing. Do you want to like walk us through that last little bit then? Yeah, absolutely. So, yeah, lost my waters. We got in the pool. when I was on the mattress, I do remember asking to try the gas. okay. they bring gas. Yeah. Well, they, they give it like, they, they bring all the things weeks before, just in case you go into, into labor and there was oxygen cylinder. And I just thought the gas was that like, I had all these things attached. I thought that was it anyway, but I asked for the gas and my wonderful midwife just went, I think you're doing okay. And I just went, all right. And kept going. Little did I know that the gas wasn't even there. she had to get her husband to bring the gas. wow. Anyway, so, but once I got in the pool, that feeling was just incredible. Like the weightlessness, because I'd been on my knees for most of the day and all fours, I guess the spongy part of the bottom part of the pool was really good. The warmth of the pool, the weightlessness of the pool, it just, was amazing and even Adam would say I just looked so much more relaxed the second I got in the pool and I sort of hung myself over. I continued to have the surges and then the gas miraculously appeared and I said do you want to give it a go and I was like yeah. I know that the gas can, some people don't find the gas all that helpful. I really found a rhythm with my breathing for it and I found it really really helpful especially sort of as I could feel the surge sort of building and then it's dropping off. So I had that and then yeah I think I pushed for about half an hour and the midwives are sort of coaching me through that what I would feel. They had the mirror so they could see sort of the head coming I think she sort of came down a bit and then sort of went back up. They sort of coached me through that and then yeah she was born in the water at 6.36. Wow. In those last like moments, like especially, you know, for me personally, I definitely feel the ring of fire. Like how were those moments for you? Like what did it feel like more intense or like, did you feel like, what was your, what was your thoughts if you remember? It's, it's funny. I don't remember really feeling the ring of fire. And I remember thinking that during it as well. Remember also, I guess I don't know being loose enough to think that You know some women describe pushing as being really productive. Yeah, I didn't really notice a difference like I felt like I was pushing but it wasn't sort of Yeah, just just felt all the same to me. Yeah, I true I've done a lot of work in I'd seen a pelvic floor physio In my pregnancy as well. So I've done a lot of work in relaxing and not holding So I guess that held me in good stead as well. But yeah, I didn't, didn't get that, that ring of fire or didn't feel any sort of different with the pushing base other than it just being, I'm pushing her out really. Yep. That's amazing because like my experience, when I hear like women say, it not, cause not everybody feels it, but it's just like such a, to me, it felt like so intense. I'm like, how can people not be feeling this? It's just like, this is not nice. but that's, that's really cool. I'm really, fascinated by the, the gas because I don't think, like, I know that some midwives can carry it, can offer it, but I don't, like, I think yours will be the, maybe the 44th birth episode, roughly, and no one. has ever mentioned having access to gas. So that's pretty incredible because yeah, it's just like a cylinder and like you can like, yeah. I don't know if there's like more regulations around like the midwife being allowed to carry it or, but that's amazing. Fantastic. That's really cool. I'd been, I knew that that was a tool. Yeah. I guess that I could use. So I knew to ask for it. Yeah. yeah, I guess you don't know what you don't know, but But here's me thinking that this oxygen cylinder that I've been sitting in the lounge room for weeks on end, that was it. And then I asked her, and little did I know, but that's how amazing they are in terms of handling a woman in labor, I guess, was that she was so calm and she just went, I think you're doing really well. And I was like, okay. And I wasn't demanding, I didn't feel the need to demand for it. And then, like I said, little did I know that it just, it was on its way. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. That's brilliant. And so, so Lottie was sort of like coming out, but then like sort of moving back a little bit, coming out. And how slow was the, like, did her head come out and then there was a bit of a break. Or like, did she kind of come out in one sort of go or do you remember that? I think her, yeah, this part and I've looked back on the video that the midwife took. It really was sort of all at once. I do remember that feeling of her head's out and then everything just sort of came out after that. Yeah. She's obviously in a really good position, like very optimal. Yeah, yeah, that's awesome. Yeah. Yeah. I forgot to say I did a lot of the spinning babies as well. Yeah. The towards the end of my pregnancy too, which I think, you know, was just something of benefit and other, you know, part of the toolbox really. Yeah. Yeah. Just being on my hands and knees again in that position was wonderful. In the video, I looked like I sort of raised one leg up. Yeah. As she comes out. Yeah. And that was so I could sort of catch her or grab her. Yeah, but it really did all happen quite, quite and she was sort of in my arms all of a sudden and we've got this gorgeous baby. So yeah. Wow. So you picked it up from in between your legs and that brought it onto your chest. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Wow. Round on the, to sort of have my back against the edge of the pool. Yeah. yeah. So all in one sort of swift motion. But yeah, obviously cause the midwife had the, had the mirror could sort of see what was going on. Obviously way before I could, I knew what was going on. But yeah, that all last part was, was quite quick. Yeah. Yeah. And was there anything in particular like running through your mind, like in those very initial, like very first moments of holding her? It was, it really was, I did it. Like I did it. I did it. Yeah. In the video, that's the first, I just kept saying, I did it. I did it. I did it. and Yeah, it just, it was just incredible. Like that feeling straight away of not necessarily it's over, but yeah, I've done it. I did it. Particularly I think, yeah, as a first time mum and not knowing what to expect and to be able to do something like that. But again, having that sort of innate confidence in my body. Yeah, it was just absolute magic. That was the best. couple movements. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. They can't like, yeah, that's my experience too, especially with Frankie. Like if you could bottle that energy up, like it would be like a drug. Like that's, that's the high that I'm searching for. Absolutely. Absolutely. I can't, yeah, I can't wait to have that high again. Yeah. Yeah. It really is absolutely incredible. Yeah. Yeah. And did you, how did the birth of the placenta go? Yeah, so that was way quicker than I thought. It was about 15 minutes. She had a, I sort of went to, she did the breast crawl. She was on my chest, did the breast crawl, but my cord was quite short. So sort of, I guess on my belly -ish, belly chest. And then yeah, placenta was about 15 minutes later. and that's such an odd fits like giving birth to a jellyfish. It's such an odd sensation, but it really, it was quick and it was like, I've just done, you know, I've just had all these white, these surges and it was like one big surge, but because I knew to expect it, but it really came out of nowhere that 15 minutes later. obviously we'd had sort of 15 minutes with her by then. yeah. So yeah. Certainly a weird, a weird, sensation, but then it just sat in the pool with me. The ladies grabbed a bowl and it just sat in the pool with me for a bit. And while we had more cuddles and yeah. Yeah. Wow. and so then you, did you get out of the pool with her still attached to cut the cord or when did you cut the cord? Yeah. Yeah, we did because it was my husband that cut, yeah, this part's a bit hazy, but yeah, I'm pretty sure Adam cut the cord. Yeah, I'm pretty sure he made sort of, you know, it was an odd sensation for him to cut the cord, but yeah, I think they want to check for blood loss and that sort of thing. So we had enough time in the pool, which was great. And yeah, we were all attached still for that. And then once we'd separated the cord, we'd done the delayed cord clamping really. of what they do there, to go and do anything else. But once the cord was fully white, Adam cut it and then I had said to them I really wanted to have a look. They weigh it and they took some photos and they had it on a towel or on a whatsname and it was just amazing. So I was on the couch while Adam had her or one of us had her at this point and we were looking at the placenta and it was just amazing. And funny enough, I think I think I mentioned something about it being not a marginal cord insertion. It never came up in my scans or anything, but I know that for some other women, they make comments on that in scans and sort of change. I don't know management, but it was just something that happened to happen. I think it actually happened with my sister the six weeks earlier. It was never picked up in a scan, but It was just a variation of the placenta. And the cord insertion, but it wasn't an, there was no calcification. It was a great looking placenta. Yeah. Yeah. As far as placenta goes. Yeah. did you have any tearing or any grazes or anything like that? Yeah. So I had a second degree tear. and I guess looking back at that night, so I had her at six 36 at night. The night probably would have been otherwise fairly straightforward and quite quick. They would have left I think after a period of if it wasn't for that tear which was they both midwives were looking at it so I was on our couch. Adam was having skin to skin with Lottie while they they looked at it and were assessing it really and again sort of a bit hazy from that night but I think essentially it was a secondary degree tear but they were just trying to work out the best place to pop the stitches. But it wasn't as straightforward, I think, as it could be. So they ended up calling in a third midwife. Who I guess they wanted her opinion. She was at one of the other local hospitals. So they called her, but then she got stuck in the footy gather around traffic. It took a while for her to get to us. But I'm really like, it was amazing that they did that. I had, you know, them looking over to do the best possible assessment. They ended up putting three stitches in. Yeah and I didn't need to transfer to hospital or anything like that. I think that was maybe a tiny mention of it but then they went nothing's going to change. That's how we sort of dealt with it but that probably I guess pushed the night out longer than for them and for us really. That wasn't an issue. We loved the company and we were on a high and so it didn't really matter. That's beautiful. And so, you know, she's obviously still little. But how has like the past eight weeks of postpartum life been for you? Like mom life, parent life? it's been incredible, overwhelming. I just don't have enough words to really describe it. But we're just like so in love. I've said to so many friends, I just there's a life before her and after her. You know, it's pretty crazy to think that, you know, this was the baby that was in your belly the whole time. It was always going to be her. It's not another baby. It's her or it's them or whatever it is. But yeah, it's just absolutely wild. I absolutely love hearing Adam talk to people about it, about our birth and all of that because it's absolutely amazing. Hearing him want to be an advocate for it is amazing. but he just, you know, he lights up just as much as I do, which is pretty, pretty cool. Yeah. He's a, she's a great, happy little baby. And, yeah, we're, we're just so, so in love. Yeah. That's so beautiful. Thank you so much for sharing. did you have like any last things or extra stuff that you wanted to mention or that we forgot to talk about or? No, not really. Just. Thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to be able to book and share. Like I said to you at the start, I'd, you know, shared it from the rooftops. It was, you know, such an incredible experience. And yeah, just for, you know, you to help women share that story. Like I said, I think before we started recording that, you know, knowing that we were going to have a home birth, having a podcast that you could go to, or resources that you could go to that were all about. that was just so valuable and so what you're doing is just amazing. So thank you. Thank you. Well, you're a part of it now. And like other women will listen to this and like, especially first time moms, you know, because yeah, like there is still like even the other day I recorded a story and her partner was very, like she was on board with possibly a home birth for their first baby. but it was her partner that was like, no, like we should just try, like, see what you're birth, how you birth, like let's do hospital first time. And that's like such a common story, such a common story. so I think like story sharing, particularly for first time moms that, you know, aren't generally savvy to options in pregnancy, options in birth, postpartum options. Like story sharing is like, yeah. And like a podcast, yeah, makes it so much more accessible because like literally anyone can listen to it anytime. Yeah. But yeah, thank you for being a part of it. Yeah, no, thank you so, so much. Yeah. I think just, I guess, you know, the takeaway You know, you don't need to have a trial run for these sorts of things. I hear that where I've heard that so often, not needing a trial run. And that's where I guess, particularly if you do, you are doing it for the first time, researching, story sharing, listening to people, finding those resources. And yeah, it is so, well, it just helped me put us in a great space and yeah. Yeah. Beautiful. Thank you so much, Hannah. Wonderful. Thanks, Elsie.