"Birth and antenatal experience"

I had a very positive experience with the midwives and doctors at Kununurra Hospital – both during the birth and during the antenatal check-ups.

Thanks to attending the Positive Birth Class, I felt well prepared for the birth and knew what options were available to me. As the class was run by a local midwife, we were also informed about what services Kununurra Hospital offers and what it doesn’t. I also appreciated that we were allowed to view the delivery room in advance and knew what to expect.

I was able to use the birth preference template from the Positive Birth Class and handed the preferences in at the hospital before the birth. The plan was reviewed by the midwives and doctors and discussed with me. When I arrived at the hospital in labour, the midwife and the student midwife were already aware of my wishes, and I was able to focus entirely on the birth. As we were there overnight, only the midwife, the student midwife and, towards the end of the birth, a doctor were present. Everything went very calmly and without unnecessary interruptions, which I really appreciated.

I’d noted that I wanted to practise hypnobirthing, which was respected but also meant that the midwife hardly spoke to me during the birth. I knew she’d let me know if anything wasn’t right, but a few encouraging words certainly wouldn’t have gone amiss, especially when it was my first birth. I still felt safe and well looked after, and the midwives never left me on my own. I suppose everyone interprets hypnobirthing a little differently. Next time, I’d definitely define it more precisely in my birth preferences.

During my pregnancy, I looked into the TENS machine and knew I wanted to use it. The midwives pointed out to me that the TENS machine could be borrowed from the local physiotherapist. What I didn’t know was that it was a ‘standard’ TENS machine and not the ELLE TENS. When I received the TENS machine from the physiotherapist in the 38th week of my pregnancy and realised it wasn’t the ELLE TENS, there wasn’t enough time left to get hold of an ELLE TENS. The standard TENS machine is far too complicated to use, so I couldn’t use it properly during the birth.

I remember feeling very cold during the birth, as the room is cooled by the hospital’s central ventilation system. As I was already having strong contractions, I could no longer articulate myself. I knew I would have had the option of using the shower, but that didn’t sound like a relaxing idea to me. I would much rather have had the option of taking a bath, and I’m convinced that would have made the birth easier. I hope that Kununurra will offer water immersions in the near future.

It was great that my partner was allowed to stay overnight with me in hospital. However, our room was very small and the walls were thin. It felt as though the staff in the corridor were standing right next to our bed, and the other patients’ bells were like an alarm clock ringing constantly. It would certainly be nicer if there was the option of a larger room with a double bed, which wasn’t so noisy or in a separate ward.