"Birth"

My midwife and student midwife created the most beautiful, safe, relaxing, and empowering environment for me to birth my second baby into the world. I naturally progressed in labour whilst being supported by these incredible woman, and they helped facilitate the water birth of my dreams.

Calm, collected, nurturing; these professionals really excel in their field, and I felt strong and confident with my unmedicated birth in their hands. Words of encouragement, keeping me updated with my progression, cold compress for my head, a speaker for my birth playlist, dim fairy lights for atmosphere, and cold cordial to refresh me between contractions.

After birth care was just as attended to, with clean facilities and provisions and more words of affirmation and support. Guiding me every step of the way, the community of midwives at the King Edward Memorial Hospital Family Birth Centre helped safely delivery a baby into my arms with no complications. No rush, just embracing the euphoria. Delayed cord clamping, placenta birth, and contact cuddles for the first hour, it was a blissful experience. I was incredibly fortunate to have had aid from my primary midwife, my student midwife, the other midwives on duty (helping capture the moment), and also support from a midwife who was previously my student midwife with my first birth.

Thank you team, you made giving birth the beautiful and empowering experience I'd always hoped it would be.