The Gentle Doula, Sunshine Coast (2025)

08/11/2024

Aimee’s birth story part 3 ✨

The main Anaesthetist gave me live updates of what the drs were doing and even the drs were great at telling me what they were doing too. They lowered the screen when our baby was born and we got to find out the gender, we had a boy!
They allowed 2mins 20 sec of delayed cord clamping until he needed a little help breathing.
After the baby Dr was happy with his breathing they put him on my chest skin to skin.
I asked for this c section to be ask close to a natural birth as possible and I didn’t want him taken too far away from me if possible.

I had a great experience and didn’t re-live any of the past trauma as I felt like everyone went out of their way to ensure I had a totally different experience.

They did take a while to put me back together as my uterus tore a little and I lost 1.7L of blood and my bladder needed to be disected from my uterus. I had a lot of scar tissue from my first son. But I felt no pain, everyone kept talking to me, metalica was playing and I just trusted everyone in the room.

08/11/2024

Aimee’s Birth story part 2 ✨

I wasn’t doing progress checks of my cervix but after a few hours of voluntary and then involuntary pushing I was tired and starting to stress.
I needed to know how dilated I was to see if I had the energy to keep going.
I also developed intense back pain.
I was checked but the midwife didn’t tell me she just suggested we try something different or to stay out of the bath for a bit. I appreciated this as I knew things weren’t as far along as I wanted them to be but she didn’t put a number to it and upset me. This was one of my hypnobirthing preferences, not to know.

So, we were going to see if the hot water injections in my back would work but my pain was much higher on my back than normal and the midwife was unsure whether it would even give me relief.

I then asked for an epidural thinking it would take some pain away and I could still have a vaginal birth.
After having the epidural the midwife and doctors said my baby was under distress and I was told I was only 3cm dilated and my cervix was quite swollen. If I was dilated more I could have tried to birth naturally but at this stage they wanted to perform a c section within the hour.

I had a horrific experience 16yrs ago with my first sons c section so this was definitely my last resort. I spoke to the anaesthetist and doctors about my past trauma, they gave us 30mins to think over. We did one more vaginal exam and I was still 3cms.
We decided we had tried everything and just wanted a safe delivery of our baby so gave permission for the c section.

We wanted to do vaginal seeding so my midwife packed some gause in my vaginal area that we removed just before surgery and applied on our baby later that night (it’s not hospital protocol to apply, we had to do it)

When we were in the room before the theatre I realised I knew the second anaesthetist Jess from a gym I worked at. This helped to put me at ease, she also used her phone to play Metallica music in theatre and took so many pics and vids on my phone of the whole procedure.

*continued in comment section*

08/11/2024

Aimee’s birth story part 1 ✨

I fell pregnant naturally (3rd go) at 40, I had been on the pill for 15yrs!
Pregnancy was fine up until my 38 week midwifery appt, my fundal height had reduced and recommended a growth scan.

Had growth scan following week and confirmed baby wasn’t quite on track with growth but was still presumably 7.2 pounds (my son was 7.6 pounds so I wasn’t too worried)
From there I went in twice more that week for baby monitoring and had a stretch and sweep at the same time.
The plan was to bring Labour on naturally or go in Saturday afternoon for induction and have a Cooks catheter inserted.
I would then go back Sunday morning to have waters broken and hopefully start birthing.

The second stretch and sweep was Friday afternoon, friday night around 11.30pm I felt contractions but went to sleep.
Saturday at 1.40am I woke up to a painful contraction and a pop. When I went to the toilet my pad had pink waters on it.
I was 39 + 4 on Saturday 26th October..I also had my other son at 39 + 4 too!

I decided to sit backwards on the toilet as the waters would periodically leak with my mild contracting. I watched a Bob Marley Movie on my phone which I’d always wanted to watch and let my partner Adam go back to bed.

By 4.30am my contractions were getting more intense and I woke Adam up for company.
At 5am I called Sara then we decided to call my midwife and work out a plan. At this point the contractions were 5mins apart.

The midwife said to meet at scuh at 6am.
I knew I needed to go as the thought of the 12min car ride if it got any worse scared me.
When we got to the hospital I had to stop 4 times on the way up to birth suite to breathe through the contractions.

Straight away I jumped into the shower. The heat on my back and belly felt great.
Then the bath was full so I jumped in there, I had been looking forward to the bath as I was denied it for my first, some one else was using it. Previously birthed at Nambour hospital where the facilities were limited.

28/09/2024

My birth story part 3 - 3rd stage of labour
I had just birthed my baby and was in total shock at what I just accomplished. I had accomplished a natural birth, with no pain relief, in water, surrounded with love and support.

It was now time to get up on to the bed which was easier said than done. My midwife checked my perineum, and I had a second degree tear which needed stitching. I had told my midwife she must be Edward scissor hands as this is what it felt like when she was touching me, it was so raw and tender.
Part of my birth plan was to have delayed cord clamping, I wanted to wait till her cord was completely white. I also wanted 3 golden hours of quality and uninterrupted skin to skin time to help my baby regulate and my breastmilk. I was declining BSLs on her (due to my GDM) unless she become symptomatic of a hypo. I knew I made the right decision when I saw all of my colostrum seeping out from between her mouth.
Dad cut the cord which I felt was bitter sweet, our physical connection had just been cut.
After the 3 hours, it was time to weigh and measure her. My first baby was 2.4kg and my second 3kg, so we were very surprised when they said she was a healthy 4.1kg and 52cm, my body hid her well.
I was very fortunate to have a midwife that not only read and listened to my birth plan but respected it and implemented it. I will forever be grateful and cherish being able to experience what my mind and body is capable of and have the support and love I needed.

27/09/2024

My birth story birth story part 2 - 2nd stage of labour
Once in our own suite, we had noticed there was Meconium in my waters. I really wanted a water birth but due to the mec, I couldn’t be in the birth pool. The compromise was the shower which I was happy with. The midwife wanted a CTG to monitor bub which I declined but said I was happy with intermittent doppler, I did not want to be restricted or go down the path of a scalp electrode.
For a few moments we were able to joke and laugh but things ramped up pretty quickly. I no longer knew what the time was but what I do know is my tightenings were no longer in my control, I had one tightening after the next with no time in between to regather my thoughts or calm.
I always thought that tightenings like this was due to the syntocinon used in induction but apparently it’s what my body does. I was now “mooing” and yelling for an epidural and at the stage of saying how I can’t do it, I was transitioning. The midwife offered to do a VE which I accepted and was disappointed to hear I was only 5cm dilated. I remember thinking “how? With all these tightenings? How?”
My midwife and student midwife kept reminding that she wasn’t far and that I can and am doing it. Kept telling me how amazing I am being.
My body then started to involuntarily push. I reached down and could feel my babies head a little and with each tightening I could feel it more and more. I was now being told to do small pushes/blow candles which I responded with “nope”. My body had taken over and did not have a lower gear. At 4:51pm, 13 minutes later from being told I was 5cm, my baby girl was born posterior (face up) and I pulled her out and up to my chest. I had done it! My labour was 2 hours and 21 minutes and I had done it.

26/09/2024

My birth story part 1
My pregnancy wasn’t hard but wasn’t easy either. I was GDM for the third time but luckily this time diet controlled. I had had an irritable uterus since 28 weeks and on numerous occasions thought I was in preterm labour. I had bad sciatica pain and was 40 weeks pregnant. This is the longest I had ever been pregnant with being induced at 36 and 38 weeks with my other two. I had never gone into natural labour and the waiting game I found very mentally challenging.
On Thursday the 22nd August, I was 40+5 weeks pregnant. I went in for my 40 week midwifery appt and was offered a stretch and sweep which I was more than happy to do given my level of discomfort of constant tightenings. The midwife was able to successfully do one and I was already 4cm and could be stretched more. She booked me in for an induction for post dates but said most likely would not need this appt. It was hard agreeing to it but it was more so the hospital could have it ticked off.
My partner and I than went for a walk in Mooloolaba and some brekkie. At this point I was getting on and off tightenings but similar to what I had already been getting for the last 12 weeks. After our walk, we had gone home to relax which I had found really hard to do.
I was lying on the couch watching a movie and at 1:30pm I felt a massive pop in my lower tummy. I laid there thinking, “was that my waters breaking? Surely not!”
I went to my partner and told him I think my waters had just broken, we were both in shock but had a plan. Pick up our other two from school, get the in laws around and head straight to the hospital. My last labour was only 3 hours long so thought best not to mess around.
By 2:15 we were on our way to the hospital and I was having tightenings every couple of minutes. We arrived at the hospital 2:35 and the walk from the car park to birth suite was a combination of trying to “look normal” to strangers there at the hospital but also now having a tightening every minute or so.

31/08/2024

This body made you, birthed you and now nourishes you. I call this magic.

29/08/2024

This time last week my waters had just popped and headed straight into birth suite for a very fast labour. Love how I think booping the book on my head will help with my surge whilst walking through it. Will do up my birth story soon. Just can’t believe it’s been a week.

14/08/2024

Acupuncture and hypnobirthing track to help get this little one earth side, 3 days till my due date. With an irritable uterus since 28 weeks, I am more than ready for the next stage.

10/07/2024

My journey so far 🌼
I am currently 34 weeks pregnant and getting to the uncomfortable side of things (I’m officially waddling).

I had all day sickness (no vomiting but whole lot of dry reaching) up until 16/17 weeks pregnant. Once this passed I thought “great I can get back into walking and light exercise “ but my heart had other plans. Just going up my stairs I would shoot to 140 bpm.

At 20 weeks I was diagnosed with GDM for the third time. I did refuse the GTT test but tested myself for two weeks which the drs said I was GD again. I have stayed diet controlled which was my goal as my last two pregnancies I was on insulin and was firm in my decision to not have insulin this pregnancy.

Around 22 weeks I walked into a nest of baby ticks that loved my belly and b***s. I actually found that the hardest to advocate for at the hospital as they did not believe they were ticks as so small. I never got tested for anything and ended up in a lot of discomfort with some becoming infected as not removed by the hospital staff.

I have also had struggles with an irritable uterus since 28 weeks so I’m getting some good practice in leading up to my labour.

Lastly my babe has decided the best way to chill at the moment is breech. I’m very lucky that I have a private midwife who is advocating for me to have VBB.
Although so far things have not been smooth, I am just amazed at what my body can and will do and just enjoying these last few weeks of my last pregnancy journey.

If you have any questions for me at all, feel free to ask.

26/05/2024

🌼 Makayla’s Birth Story 🌼

Makayla is a first time mum with her surprise baby, only finding out she was pregnant at 15 weeks.
Makayla went in to early labour at exactly 41 weeks on Monday evening (29th April) contracting irregularly till Tuesday evening. She went to the hospital on Tuesday to check progression and was 2cm dilated and have a stretch and sweep. Wednesday evening she had progressed to 3cm dilated and cervix completely thinned.
With still contracting irregularly, Makayla opted to begin the induction process with exhaustion setting in.
She went into the hospital Thursday morning to begin induction. Waters were broken and syntocinon commenced at 12pm and epidural administered to try and get some rest.

5 hours later Makayla was ready to start pushing but with babies heart rate dropping an episiotomy and vacuum was suggested.
2-3 more pushes and Baby Summer was earth side at
5:07pm on Thursday the 2nd May weighing 3.4kg. A perfect little girl. Makayla was such a female warrior with her strength and has transitioned to being a mother so beautifully.

11/02/2024

We are growing our family 🌞
I will still be offering my gentle support until my waters break so don’t feel like you can’t reach out.

The Gentle Doula

08/11/2024

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31/08/2024

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11/02/2024

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