28/10/2021
I remember being so excited to be pregnant with our third baby. I was going to have my dream, healing birth. I was going to give us both time during postpartum to heal and bond together. I was going to share the responsibility and give my husband time to bond with her too. I thought on the back of sharing a lot about planning your postpartum and being deserving of your dream birth, I should also address the times that this doesn’t go to plan. You can imagine; third time mum, totally got this, have grown as a human and am so in touch with my own power and my connection to my baby. Then bombs explode all over my birth and postpartum plans. My labour was beautiful and magical and connected. So connected in fact that I knew we needed help well before any machines that go beep knew. Ultimately my daughter was born into a room without her parents there - I was under general anaesthetic and my husband was in an adjoining room. Fast forward three weeks and we had found our groove. I spent time resting, feeding, reading with our older kids. At 8.30 after her feed if hand Amelia over to my husband and they would snuggle until she woke for her next feed. It was perfect. Until it wasn’t. Amelia was admitted to hospital at 3.5 weeks old with parainfluenza and a UTI. She was covered in a rash, wasn’t maintaining her own temperature or feeding properly. She had loads of antibiotics as they first thought she had sepsis. It destroyed her poor little gut. She spent 7 months screaming and she’s never been the same. Even 4 years on. So my point is, you can plan and prepare and these steps are SO important. But the reality is that things can go pear shaped. That’s why planning your support is the most critical part of your planning. If your plans went sideways, you’re not alone. Give yourself the time to process and find people you can talk to and debrief with again and again and again. I have just opened up the option to book a debrief session/sessions with me. Head to the website if that’s something you’re looking for. Zoom for Australia wide or in person for Illawarra friends❤️ you’re not alone and you definitely don’t have to traverse the wild road of processing all by yourself
