http://www.mumsdelivery.com.au/blog/sara-says/remembering-midwife-midwives-great-birthing-partner/Remembering my Midwife, and why Midwives are a great birthing partner
I recall living on the other side of the country, away from our families and expecting our first baby. It’s fair to say I had absolutely no idea what I was in for. Like a lot of first time mums, I did plenty of research and read lots of books on birthing and labour, hubby and I attended all the classes available to us…and when it came down to it, still nothing could have prepared me for the big day!
When I first arrived to the hospital after my waters had broken, I had a middle-aged midwife whom seemed really excited and positive about the way I was progressing, and the arrival of our little baby boy. She was constantly offering encouragement and support, and I felt safe and fairly under control. Then her shift finished approximately an hour after I arrived. At 7cm, I had a new midwife who was very nice, but probably early 20’s and just didn’t have the same air of confidence or positivity. I started to find myself feeling panicky and uncertain.
A difficult labour ensued, and after 13 hours (about 11 of which were at 8cm) and only gas, I was given an episiotomy and bub was helped out with the ventouse vacuum. That midwife stayed by my side the entire labour, she didn’t leave to eat, I don’t even recall her leaving to use the bathroom. She was there for every contraction, telling me not to push then eventually when I COULD push. She was telling me I was doing a great job even when I felt myself pushing against my own wishes. She gave me a hug after bub was born and being checked over, and was genuinely excited about his safe arrival. I’m so grateful we had a caring midwife throughout the entire labour, supporting both myself and hubby in a new and overwhelming journey.
The days after bub was born were full of uncharted territory for us: breastfeeding, burping, bathing, changing, the baby blues…and I felt so supported knowing how many experienced midwives were around me! I went fairly well with breastfeeding, however bub was a bit fussy and we needed to know how much milk he was getting, so a midwife suggested I try to express some milk, just to see if I was having a fast let down or if I didn’t have much milk etc. Unfortunately, I hadn’t purchased a breast pump and the Medela electronic breast pumps in the maternity ward were all in use in other rooms (trust me to give birth on a day where a quiet regional hospital was full!). So, we attempted to hand express, which got us the information we needed and I later purchased a breast pump after returning home. (I recommend having a breast pump on hand, if you’re hoping to breastfeed!).
Before going into hospital, I had heard about Medela and recently I learnt that they are extending their support of mums with a new mobile app “MyMedela”, and their breastfeeding blog. In addition to this, they have conducted a survey of over 7000 mums, to find out how Midwives support mums during the first few weeks of motherhood; the findings are included below. They have also been busy Celebrating Midwives, which lead me to create this post, recounting my experiences with Midwives.
I love this short video Medela created about “Celebrating Midwives” as it normalises a lot of the feelings that I felt in those first few weeks following the birth of my first baby (and my subsequent child, for that matter). Advice offered by other mums is always valuable, and an online resource that you can trust rather than being overwhelmed with all of the conflicting information out there can really ease anxiety! This clip is so real and accurate, it really resonates with me. I hope it will resonate with other mums that maybe felt or feel a little bit alone in their journey of motherhood.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=a7RQ5U_z3f8At a time where I lacked all confidence in myself, midwives were there assuring me I was doing things correctly (or showing me how), or cuddling bub so I had a chance to have a bit of sleep for an hour or so here and there when I felt like I simply couldn’t get through it all. Now I’m expecting bub number 3 and I’ve had the hospital tour of the midwife ward in a different hospital in a different state to where our first two boys were born, and although I was very anxious to begin with; the professionalism and empathy of the midwives have put my mind at ease a lot. The support of a good midwife cannot be underestimated!
Medela would love to hear your Midwife story and have offered us a $100 Medela Voucher to the Medela webstore www.medelastore.com.au .Simply comment below, telling us In 25 words or less how did a midwife support you during those first few days of motherhood?
