Sharni
Welcome to the world
Halle Mae Heys
Born on the 9th of February 2020
Welcome to the world Halle Mae Heys, born on the 9th of February 2020. We were all patiently and excitedly anticipating the arrival of Sharni and Kody’s first baby, and at 41 weeks and 4 days, she was ready to meet us all.
08.2.2020 – 9pm
I arrive at Sharni and Kody’s home. Sharni and I set up in the lounge room ready to perform some Body Balancing using the Spinning Babies’ techniques:
forward leaning inversion
sideline release
rebozo sifting
myofascial release.
I apply Clary sage on Sharni’s stomach and in the diffuser.
Kody catches up on some sleep.
09.2 .2020 - 9pm – 12am
Spinning Babies abdominal lift and tuck through ten contractions to help baby drop into the inlet of the pelvis. baby laying on the left side and slightly posterior {LOP}.
12am
Sharni joins Kody in bed to see if she can get some rest while we wait to see if these techniques have helped create space for baby Heys to turn and descend into the pelvis.
Krista sleeps on the couch.
1am
Sharni gets up to put on the tens machine as she has been having contractions since she went to bed.
2am
Sharni and Kody both get up, as Sharni can no longer stay in bed as the contractions have become stronger and more frequent. Spinning Babies has worked well and baby Heys is making her decent through the pelvis.
2-5am
We set the mood in the lounge room with soft music, tea lights and clary sage in the diffuser.
Kody and I support Sharni with the rebozo, double hip squeezes, massage with essential oils and heat packs for Sharni’s stomach and back. Sharni makes use of use the couch and the birth cub so as to find positions to labour in that are comfortable as possible and also have the benefit of working with gravity. Kody times the contractions and I keep off the timer as I muck it up. The contraction app also keeps telling us to call an ambulance ;) We use positive words to help keep Sharni focussed, confident and calm while making sure Sharni is snacking, emptying her bladder and drinking plenty of water.
Sharni performs some side lunges through 3x contractions on both sides to make sure we are giving baby Heys enough space to continue to descend as the pattern of the contractions has started to jump around a bit.
Sharni is doing a great job of breathing, keeping calm and working with the sensations of labour. We are back on track with contractions being between 2 and 4 min apart.
5am – Krista calls the LGH to inform them that we will be coming in within the hour as Sharni’s contractions are about 4 min apart and lasting up to a minute.
6.30am
We arrive in labour ward. Sally and Susan are the midwives on that morning.
Sally has a dry sense of humor. We are not sure if she is joking half the time or serious.
We stay in the observation room for around an hour while all the checks are completed. Tash, Sharni’s midwife is called to say that we have arrived at the LGH and that Sharni is in labour. Baby Heys is doing well. Her heart rate is perfect.
7.30am
Sally performs an internal examination – Sharni’s cervix is thin and she is 4cm dilated. Definitely in active labour.
Her contractions have been very consistent and are now taking all of her attention.
7.30 – 11.15am
Transferred into birthing suite “number 4 “opposite the bathroom with the bath. Kody writes a message for Sharni on the white board “Your smashing this Sharndog!! Love you !! xx
We dim the lights, put on our tea lights, diffuser and playlist. Sharni doesn’t mind what we play as she tells me she can’t hear anything as she is in the zone. Kody and I make sure Sharni is keeping up her fluids and she snacks on soft party mix jubes and red jelly beans {actually I eat most of them} Sharni is good in good spirits and makes plenty of trips to the bathroom to make sure her bladder is empty. Kody and I continue to support Sharni emotionally and physically, helping her to find positions on the bed and on the birth cub. Sharni is also walking around. We continue with massage, rebozo sifting and acupressure to help Sharni through the strong sensations of labour. Sharni is doing amazing. A 45-minute shower is also a nice distraction and good form of pain relief. We continue with another round of spinning babies.
The tens machine has long gone by now. Tash, our midwife has arrived and keeps a check on Sharni and baby Heys. Both are doing beautifully.
11.30am
Internal examination performed. Sharni is 7-8cm dilated. Waters are intact and bulging with the pressure of babies’ head. The contractions are very strong and Sharni finds that the gas just takes the edge off. The midwifes feel that this little baby isn’t far off making her debut.
11.45 – 1.45pm
Sharni decides to have a bath. I feel it will be nice for Kody and Sharni to have some quiet time alone with just the two of them. Tess pops in to keep a check on Sharni and baby Heys heart rate. All is good. After about 30-40 min I join Kody and Sharni in the bathroom. Kody holds Sharni’s hand and I tip warm water over Sharni’s back. At around 12.30pm Sharni is feeling a lot of pressure in her bottom. Making sounds like she is bearing down into her bottom through each strong contraction. The contractions are all very close together.
1.55pm
Tess suggests that Sharni may like to have her waters broken. Baby is sitting very low and releasing the pressure of the waters that are still bulging should help baby to drop further into the pelvis, put pressure on the pelvic floor and hopefully make her debut.
Baby Heys has a slightly elevated heart rate that is common when mum has a bath and settles down after a while. Baby Heys has also turned into a posterior position.
Waters are broken and Sharni is in a lot of pain. Sharni is sitting on 7-8 cm dilated. Meconium is present in her waters. We now know that baby has done a poo. This is quite common and as long as baby is happy, and her heart rate is stable Sharni can continue to move around as normal. Standard procedure for meconium the waters do need to be followed regarding monitoring of the baby’s heart rate. Sharni will need to be on a fetal heart monitor so that they can obtain a constant fetal heart rate.
Contractions continue to ramp up in intensity. Sharni uses all her inner strength and keeps control of her breathing and uses visulisation (Max catching Butterflies) to help her ride through these waves and not against them.
3.20pm
Sharni is feeling exhausted the contractions are coming very quickly. After many intense long hours of labour Sharni is finding the unrelenting strong sensations more than she feels she can continue to handle. Sharni makes an informed decision and asks for an epidural. We all agree that Sharni could do with a break. Enabling her to catch her breath, have asleep and regain some energy ready to birth her baby. Tash informs Sharni and Kody that the epidural should relax her pelvic floor and hopefully assist baby Heys to turn into a more favorable anterior position, aiding in her descend into the birth canal.
4pm
Anesthetist arrives and runs through the procedure of the risks of an epidural before prepping and performing the procedure.
4.20pm – 4.45pm
Sharni is starting to feel the effects of the epidural and is feeling a lot more comfortable.
Sharni, feeling much more comfortable voices to Kody that she would like to skype her Mum and Maxi boy. Around this time baby Heys shows signs of a low heart rate. The Doctor is called into the room with midwives Tess and Kim , she isn’t happy with how the baby’s heart rate is sitting A fetal scalp clip is attached to the baby’s head to obtain a more accurate reading .It is confirmed that this little baby ( as we were aware ) was lying in an posterior position. Sharni is around 7 1/2 -8 cm dilated.
The midwives turn Sharni from side to side to try and find a position that may help baby’s heart rate recover from the dips. Baby Heys is not doing so well. The Dr makes the call that this little baby needs to come out sooner rather than later. The buzzer is pressed, the room fills with midwives and the Dr makes a call to theatre to let them know they are coming up for an emergency cesarean. Kody and Sharni head to theatre to deliver their baby. I didn’t know at this time, but thankfully baby’s heart rate had stabilised again on the way up to theatre.
5.18pm
Precious Halle Mae Heys is welcomed into the world weighing 8pound and 2 ounces. Sharni and Kody relayed to me later that Halle had her umbilical cord wrapped around her neck twice, she was covered in meconium, and vernix. And she was born crying and healthy.
Sharni, with love in her heart showed such courage and strength as she embraced her birth journey and all the unknown paths that were ahead of her. Birth is an opportunity to transcend. To rise above what we are accustomed to, reach deeper inside ourselves than we are familiar with, and to see not only what we are truly made of, but the strength we can access in and through Birth.
Welcome to the world Halle Mae Heys! It’s been waiting for you xxxx
Sharni was well informed about all of her options, as well as being mentally and physically prepared for the birth of her baby. With love in her heart and endless support from myself and Kody, her birth journey began to shift up a gear on the evening of the 8th of February, after a session of spinning babies techniques.
The special thing about birth is – we know that by the end, we are going to receive the greatest gift, slotting perfectly into our open arms and lives. What we do not know is how long it is going to take, or how smooth the ride is going to be. We are ultimately pacing ourselves to arrive at a destination with an unknown estimated arrival date and time.
Sharni was open to all that would encompass her, as she moved not against the sensations of labour, but with them. She possessed the capability to surrender, and tap into her sensuality, vulnerability and strength. I feel that Sharni connected with the moment, relinquishing herself to the waves of labour. For 17.5 hours, Sharni worked extremely hard – the sensations were coming fast and strong. Kody and I used natural pain relief techniques, combined with physical and plenty of emotional support to help Sharni breathe through each wave. I truly felt in awe of this beautiful mother.
As we know, birth is not simply about making babies – it is about making strong, competent, and capable mothers that trust themselves and learn their inner strength. Sharni truly looked like a birthing goddess, in all her glory. She worked endlessly and tirelessly to bring her daughter earth side. For many hours it seemed as if baby Heys was nearing to her debut. Oh, but…Babies – they like to move themselves into all sorts of positions. Turning posterior near to the end, was not helping mummy at all.
Sharni made an informed choice to deviate from her original birth plan. She understood her options and was aware of what she needed to keep going, therefore, she opted for some pain relief in an epidural. Yet, Baby Heys decided to add a little too much drama for our desires, when her heart rate suddenly plummeted (due to a cord wrapped twice around her head). “Halle, you had us all very worried.” The room filled very quickly. For the safety of mother and baby, little miss Halle Mae finally made her debut earth side with the help of a Caesarean section.
Welcome to the world Halle Mae, there is so much love waiting here for you 💞.
“Bringing our Babies into the world truly takes courage and that courage is always worth celebrating.” – Rachel Lorena Brown.
Birth truly is a momentous adventure that takes us into the inner depths of our soul. Discovering our strengths and invincibility’s that we didn’t even know existed. All women should come away from their birthing beds feeling in awe of what they have just achieved.
However it unfolds Birth it’s nothing short of amazing 💖
Thank you Sharni and Kody. I felt truly honoured and blessed to be part of your birth team. Xx
My heart is overflowing with love for you all 💞
Love, Krista xxxx