Mia and Matt's
Story!
The birth of Ashwyn Francis Kelly-Swainson
I had a phone call from Mia at 6:30pm on Sunday
12th May to tell me that her waters had broken and that she was
continuing with life as normal, making dinner and enjoying time with
Matt.
Matt called me again at 6:30am the next morning to let me know Mia
had been labouring overnight, that her contractions were getting
closer and that they'd like me to come over. I arrived at Matt and
Mia's home at about 7:15am and found them having breakfast. Mia was
handling the contractions beautifully and continued to chat with
Matt and I in between each one.
During the day, Matt offered Mia massage to make her more
comfortable, they took walks together in the park and back garden
and Matt continued to support Mia while she used the shower to ease
any discomfort. The labour was quite lengthy, and it was clear this
little one was not in a big hurry. Mia laboured all day at home, and
when the hot water ran out and the contractions got quite close
together she and Matt decided we should head to the hospital.
We
arrived at the hospital just after 9pm. Labour had slowed down
somewhat between Mia and Matt's home and the hospital, and Mia used
the shower to make her more comfortable. At this point, having spent
the day with Mia and Matt, I decided I would be of more use later so
asked for my backup, Rachel Ford, to come in.
Not long after, Mia consented to being checked to see how far
dilated her cervix was; we were told she was 4cm. I think we all
expected her to be more dilated, and the labour seemed to be a
little "up and down" (as you'll see, there was a very good reason
for this). Not long after, Mia started to experience severe back
labour and was also very tired so her and Matt decided and epidural
would be the best option. This gave everyone a good chance to have a
well-earned rest. I returned to the hospital not long after, to find
Mia and Matt both sleeping.
At about 6am, Mia consented to see how the epidural had assisted her
body to dilate a little more; she was around 8cm. The midwife
advised that she still had 'bulging waters in front of the baby's
head'. The obstetrician on shift was called in for a second opinion,
and possibly to break the waters to help labour along. The
obstetrician found that in fact it was not the baby's head
presenting, but his bottom!! This finding, of course, meant that Mia
and Matt had to rethink their birth plan.
After
much consultation with staff and time to talk it through with each
other, Mia and Matt decided that a c-section was the best option for
them.
At 9:08am on Tuesday 14th April 2009, a beautiful little boy, Ashwyn Francis, was welcomed into the world after a long labour! After the birth, Matt returned to the postnatal ward to share some skin-to-skin time with Ashwyn. Mia returned from Recovery not long after and her and Ashwyn enjoyed cuddles and a long and productive breastfeed!
Congratulations, Mia and Matt, on the arrival of your handsome little man. You were both an amazing team, especially in the light of an unexpected outcome. You advocated so well for yourselves, and made choices that were right for you in a way that was respectful to those around you. I will always treasure bearing witness to this gorgeous little man's amazing journey. Well done!
A special thankyou to Rachel Ford for making herself available to be a backup doula for Mia and Matt's birth experience. She did a fantastic job of building up a rapport quickly but gently, and supporting Mia and Matt to make their own choices.