We would like to share our birth story.  In 2003 I gave birth to our first child, Lily, in the hospital in Hobart.  We decided to do that because my parents lived there and we could stay with them while waiting for the big day to arrive (we ourselves live on the East Coast).  Being the first pregnancy and not knowing too much we thought hospital was the place to be.  I was nearing 10 days overdue and about to be induced when fortunately the labour started spontaneously and off to hospital we went at 3am.  After many internals, oxytocin to bring the labour on faster, membranes ruptured and a monitor attached to baby’s head to keep track of the heart beat, I gave birth to a beautiful baby girl at 10.25pm.  Then I started haemorrhaging.  I was monitored all night and blood loss didn’t subside so I was taken to theatre about 7am and a little piece of the placenta was removed.  I refused blood transfusion and made recovery by myself.

A few years later, I am pregnant with my second child and very excited.  We decided to do it all differently this time.  I had the pleasure of attending my friend’s homebirths for both their children and had met the midwives from LBC.  So we decided to visit these lovely ladies and either have a home birth, which I was advised by my doctor not to do due to the previous haemorrhage, or go to the Launceston Birth Centre, which is a lovely big home with a very special feel to it and the next best place to our own home.

I started labouring at 5am so off to Launceston we go, no sense of panic that we wouldn’t make it in time from the country – everything was so relaxed and flowing this time – and gave birth to another beautiful baby girl at 3.25pm.  And what an awesome experience this labour and birth was for us – peaceful and magic moments!  The whole time I was labouring the thought of drugs didn’t enter my mind nor did the thought that I couldn’t do it.  Childbirth to me is an amazing natural process in a woman’s life; our bodies are designed to do this so I say let nature do it’s thing and let birth be as natural as possible.

During my second pregnancy, I felt so different, as did my husband.  We were so relaxed, knowing this was going to be a wonderful experience.  It was very special getting to know our midwives and knowing they were going to be there to help bring our baby into the world.  Each visit was special.  We would sit and chat, have a cuppa and take as much time as needed to talk about both pregnancies, labour and birth.

We as women and families must let it be known that homebirths and birth centres are where babies would love to be born.  Trust your midwives as they are experienced and they love what they do.  A midwife is a truly very special person.  May there be many more homebirths and birth centre births!