The Birth of Marigold

Successful VBAC waterbirth at 41+4 with a well cooked thriving baby girl (4330g), named Marigold (Goldie) 🌼. She came swiftly, arriving 2 and a bit hours after arriving at the hospital.

Very mild surges started Saturday (41 weeks) also lost mucus plug but always fizzled out, continued all week til Wednesday morning (41+4) when they picked up in intensity. By the time my indenial ass called my midwife they were 2.5/ 3 mins apart. 4 surges on the 13 min drive to the hospital and 4 on the walk to birth suite - was interesting. She was always posterior so the surges were always in my back, just like my first.

Walked in the room, the room was dimly lit and the bath was running 😍🥰🙏. I laboured with my TENS machine, birth comb and husband doing counter pressure with massage gun. Then hopped in shower, til things got intense and was ready to pack up and leave (transition 😅) and felt pressure.

I hopped in the bath with some gas which felt like literal heaven. Started feeling the urge to push (weirdest feeling ever) so my husband got in the bath . I leant on my husband and my body just pushed her out within a few surges and I pulled her up and out of the water and onto my chest.

It was better then we ever imagined possible. I thought I was graceful but hubby describes me more as a wildebeast 🤣

Apart from my own worries, doubts and feeling like my body was incapable, I had a pretty uneventful pregnancy, alpart from some fractured ribs at 23 weeks pregnant.

I had 2 of the best midwives (MGP) who gave me their unlimited support and reassurance 💗💗 Literally couldn't have done it without them.

I had intermittent monitoring, no cannula, waterbirth and physiological third stage. I did have a small second degree tear.

I did reluctantly agree to a welfare scan the day before, everything was perfect e

(except she was measuring 10p 6oz), which was a huge shock as my first was a tiny 6p 9oz. Thankfully I didn't make it to my doctors appointment on the Friday to discuss the plan. I had previously declined everything, but the weight definitely shook my confidence so I don't know if I would have agreed to an induction or not had I got there.

Things we did that I think helped:

👉 Saw perinatal mental health team, I could even talk about birth or c section without crying.

👉 Did my Hypnobirthing course through Mother Moon Hypnobirthing. Jess was incredible, if you are in Brisbane, you've gotta go to her!

👉 Weekly chiro adjustments

👉 Always tried to remain upright, never reclined (scared of another posterior baby)

👉 Spinning babies

👉 Miles circuit

👉 The great birth rebellion podcasts

👉 Dates, raspberry leaf tea

👉 Birth after Caesarean book by Hazel Keedle

👉 Reflexology

👉 Naked doula resources

👉 Multiple pregnancy massages 🙈 dont tell my husband, they were just for me.

👉 Lots of crying

Things that helped in labour:

👉 TENS machine

👉 Birth comb

👉 Shower

👉 Massage gun

👉Tennis ball

👉 Nitrous Oxide Gas

Still on cloud 9 ☁️ and it was the most healing experience ever! Ready to do it again 🙈

But I'm not gonna lie, I have no idea what to do with myself as I've spent almost 3 years planning/ researching and now it's all over. And I feel sad I didn't get this with my first daughter.

I hope this even remotely helps someone about to give birth and doubting yourself, just know you are not alone and you've got this 🩷