30/04/2025
6 years ago today, I had my very first experience of birth. My waters broke at home on 30th April 2019 and I didn’t know a THING about how my body, brain and hormones worked in birth. I was completely birth blind, the plan was to “wing it” and to “just get the baby out” 🙃🙃🙃
What followed was what I now recognise as a cascade of interventions.. ARMs (waters broken further), pessary induction, long, painful, scary labour in which I had ZERO trust in my own body (cue the fear-pain-tension cycle 🔄)…ending the following morning with an intense forceps delivery in a room FULL of people, an episiotomy ✂️ and a 7 night hospital stay 😮💨 I had no idea about my rights or even that I could have had a say throughout this experience. The hospital and staff were fantastic, but I believe my own lack of self trust, knowledge and confidence played a huge part.
18 months later, in my second pregnancy, I was driven to learn more about birth, and how I could have a better experience. I had a wonderful second birth and this ignited my passion for birth work, learning about the physiology and science behind birth, and how i could become an advocate and empower others to have positive birth experiences. ❤️
So happy 6th birthday (tomorrow) to my beautiful first born, bringing you into the world wasn’t easy and I wish I’d have known more - but you were worth all of it and more! And happy 6 years of motherhood to me 💪🏻
