Sharni
Hello World
Introducing Indi Grace
Born on the 29.3.2022
Weight 8 pound 5 ounces (3.790g)
“It is an amazing transformation that can take place in people when they find out the strength of birth and what an amazing source of information and inspiration it can be. It effects your life forevermore.”
This is the second time around the sun for Sharni and Kody. I had the privilege of supporting Sharni and Kody a few years ago, when they welcomed Halle Mae into the world.
Sharni was well prepared for the birth of Halle. But as we know, there are elements of birth that we can’t control. Sharni was having a natural labour that was progressing beautifully.
Our midwife thought Sharni was not far off from birthing her baby in the water late that morning. Then came the afternoon. Hit with a few curve balls, Sharni needed to bravely face a different path. An emergency cesarean section was to be the safest birth for baby Halle.
This did not discourage Sharni, however, from believing that she could achieve a physiological vaginal birth with this next baby. In fact, it inspired her to rise to the challenge.
How do we prepare for birth? We must pause, feel, contemplate, discuss, share fears, reflect a little bit more and dig a little bit deeper into our own minds, bodies, and hearts - so we can create the best birth possible. And that is exactly what Sharni did! Sharni was also determined and well informed on how she wished to be cared for during labour, to ensure she had the best chance possible to achieve a VBAC.
Sharni engaged in all the optimal birth exercises as well as osteopaths, massage therapists and the amazing acupuncturist, Sarah George, to make sure her body was in peak condition come labour day.
Sharni goes into spontaneous labour at 40 weeks and 4 days. Supporting her on this day is her husband (Kody), her assigned midwives from the midwifery program, and her doula (me).
Birth doesn’t ask you to be fearless … only to be brave.
Sharni, at 40 weeks on Friday 25th of March, starts having sensations. They stop and start over the next few days. Sharni and I catch up twice to perform the “spinning babies 3 sisters” to make sure Sharni’s body is balanced. On our last visit, I also perform some special acupressure points for stimulating labour.
Sharni attends her acupuncture appointment on Monday morning, and come that afternoon, she feels her baby drop lower into the pelvis. On Monday night, I receive a text message from her, saying that all is quiet - a false sense of assurance that momentarily satisfies our succumbing to a full night’s sleep. Well, we nearly did…at 5 am I am woken by the magic labour ring tone (a set ringtone I have for each client that is due to birth her baby). Sharni calls to say her waters have broken, and she is having manageable sensations every three minutes. Kody has ducked into work, and I will have a shower and get ready to head up to their home. I am buzzing with excited energy for all that is to come, yet all the while, I am praying that Sharni can birth her baby without the need for a cesarean this time – I know this is her personal goal and it’s mine too. Our hearts are invested in giving this the best chance we can.
6.20 am: I arrive at Sharni’s house and I am greeted with a beaming smile from my birthing goddess
We settle into Sharni’s bedroom and perform our spinning babies, then get Sharni settled on the birth ball with a heat pack for her tummy. I also do some acupressure on her little toe to encourage good positioning. We aren’t leaving anything to chance. We have the diffuser with clary sage invigorating our senses. We are all in good spirits, feeling calm and relaxed.
This is the day we have been waiting for.
Kody arrives back home, and Halle wakes up. Halle is curious, asking me why I am holding mummy’s hand. Their gorgeous Birman cat, Max, joins Halle in her curiosity, deciding to perch himself up on a shelf in their wardrobe so he has the best view of us all. Sharni’s sensations had dropped back to 5 minutes once I arrived. We are now back to three minutes apart and Sharni is breathing through them beautifully.
Sharni’s mum, Alison, arrives to collect Halle. Alison hugs me and whispers, “please take care of my baby.” It makes me very emotional and teary to even write these words, as Alison and I have been the best of friends since we were 12 years old. We grew up together and have always been a part of each other’s lives. I have known and loved Sharni since the day she was born. I feel honoured and humbled to be invited to be part of Sharni and Kody’s birth story. I will, without a doubt, take care of Alison’s baby xx
9.50 am: Kody, Sharni and I move to the lounge room to watch TV as a distraction. Sharni is leaning over her birth ball. She uses the comb and I use some acupressure for pain relief.
10.50 am: Sharni’s sensations are building in intensity, Sharni calls the birth suite at the LGH, and we are advised to come in. She also has some meconium in her waters, meaning her baby has done her first poo. This will require some monitoring in the hours to come.
Thankfully, we can enter the hospital through the maternity entrance to avoid having to line up with the masses at the front of the building due to COVID restrictions.
11.10 am: We are settling into our birth suite. As it is busy today, we are assigned the COVID suite as it is the only one left. I set up the birth cub, the diffuser, the fairy lights, and some nice music to create a space where Sharni can feel safe to let her mind and body continue to labour as consistently and as undisturbed as possible. In Sharni’s birth plan, she has requested intermittent monitoring only. The midwives ask if it would be ok for Sharni to wear the wireless monitors just until they can establish a good trace on her baby. Sharni agrees. The problem arises, however, with the monitor not picking up all the correct information it is designed to do. Regardless, the midwives are happy with how Sharni’s baby is going and acknowledge that they want to honour her wishes regarding the continuous monitoring. The Obstetricians, however, that are only looking at the screen at the front desk, aren’t as convinced.
We leave the monitor concerns to the medical team, as we continue to focus on what is important to Sharni and the things we can control. One of these things is keeping her spirits bright through each strong sensation, working to bring her one step closer to meeting her baby. Freedom of movement, all our comfort measures, positive encouragement and lots of love are things we can give Sharni. She is listening to her body and moving in the ways that feel right, to help her baby daughter navigate her way into her mother’s arms.
12.40 pm: Sharni’s sensations have continued to build in intensity. Listening to the sounds she is making shows us that she is making great progress. Kody and I continue to physically support Sharni with massage, touch, and positive words, reminding her what an amazing job she is doing. We are also making sure that Sharni stays hydrated, as she continues to ride each one of those intense waves. She knows that this intensity is not bigger than her, it is her. This business of birthing babies into the world is hard work. Our souls encourage us to dig deep to find our unique inner strengths. A strength that we may not have realised we even possessed until we are in the moment of needing to draw on them.
“The work we do to release our babies into the world is full of intensity and purpose, of tightening and contracting, we don’t when it will end or how it will unfold and yet we do it each time because we know what is on the other side.”- Monet Nicole Moutrie
1 pm: Sharni agrees to a cervical exam. These exams are never pleasant. Having to lay on your back while enduring strong sensations is at its best, unbearable. I always remind my birthing goddesses to really consider whether they want to know their dilation number. This number has the power to elate or deflate a woman’s heart - a heart that will need to keep brave if it’s not the number that responds to how you are feeling. Dilation can share some information on what’s happening, yet, what it doesn’t tell you is how much longer you must continue to go. But once you know the number, it’s hard to forget it.
Sharni feels like she is getting close to meeting her baby and asks to be told how many centimetres she is dilated. Sharni is 5 cm dilated and her cervix is thin and stretchy.
This number 5 is not what Sharni was feeling - she thought the number would be higher.
Sharni is feeling emotional and although she is at her most powerful, she is also very vulnerable. It is at this point that we support Sharni to re-focus and regain her mojo, to dig deep and know that there is something that is inside of her that will not let her give in or lose sight of her goal. Sharni is progressing so well; her baby is in a good position and her body is doing all the right things.
1.20 pm: Sharni decides that she would like some pain relief with some gas and a morphine injection. When asking Sharni on a later occasion how the morphine worked for her, she replied that she felt it didn’t do anything.
Upon reflection, I think it gave her an option to feel like she was going to have some medical pain relief that may help lessen the intensity of these strong and consistent waves.
Sharni continued to courageously rise to each challenge. Even in her moments of doubt, she found her way back to where she needed to be. Wherever the mind goes, the body truly does follow.
Kody and I continue to rally on with massages, head rubs, heat packs, double hip squeezes and helping Sharni with position changes. In the meantime, our lovely midwives kept their eye on trying to get a good trace on the monitor. One even spent time just kneeling there to hold it on Sharni’s tummy.
Although I do know that Sharni and Kody are welcoming a baby girl, I don’t know the name. I quizzed them in Labour, and they shared with me her name started with an I. I said, “Isla or India.” Apparently, I am way off (though Isla was on Kody’s list). Iris? not that either. I’m stumped. I’ll have to wait and see.
2.30 pm: Sharni is standing and leaning over the birth cub which is on the bed. It is then that we see blood combined with more meconium. The midwives are unsure about what is causing the bleed. It could potentially be part of her placenta peeling off from the uterine wall. The combination of the meconium, the blood loss and the fetal heart monitor that just isn’t cutting it, has the Obstetrician concerned. She comes into our room and explains her reasons for wanting Sharni to agree to having a fetal clip put on her baby’s head to make sure she is content and coping with labour. She also acknowledges that Sharni is wanting a VBAC and feels this is the best option for her to achieve this. Sharni was hoping that this would not be an option that she needed to consider. This clip means Sharni will not be able to access the shower or the bath for pain relief. I ask if Sharni can have a shower before the clip is put on her baby’s head. The OB softly says she is worried about the baby as she doesn’t know if she is coping with labour or not. If Sharni agrees, she wants to perform the procedure straight away.
This bump in the road does dampen our morale temporarily. We always knew that we needed to be prepared to be fluid with what paths we may need to take. Labour and birth are a journey that does not share any information on what lies ahead. We benefit from being emotionally, physically, and educationally prepared, without losing sight of our goal. We were happy to know the Ob was also conscious of wanting to help Sharni achieve a vaginal birth, yet this doesn’t stop my heart and mind from wandering, so I continue to tell myself not to lose any hope and to keep positive. Kody is a constant and calm presence this whole time. I can feel that he has complete and total faith that his wife can take on any challenges that may be thrown her way. I know Sharni well. I also know she will soldier on despite this setback.
Sharni agrees to the clip. This means a second exam that sees Sharni in so much pain, needing to lay on her back for the procedure. The fetal clip is on, and a positive result is shared - Sharni is now 7cm dilated. This is encouraging and great news.
Agonizingly, the pain that Sharni has experienced from having to lay on her back and keep still through back-to-back sensations rattles her, removing her from her birthing zone and a crisis of confidence hits. I feel tears in my eyes as Sharni so sadly and tearfully shares that she just can’t keep doing this. These softly spoken words and the look of anguish on her face are heart-rendering. My promise to Alison that I would take care of her baby is at the forefront of my mind.
sense that if we can all emotionally and physically support Sharni to regain her inner power and enable her birthing hormones to kick back in, she has all the chances in the world to do this the way she wanted - remembering everything that is going right and what we can control. Sharni has had no stalls in labour, her baby has stayed in a good position, and she has laboured her whole labour in optimal birth positions, and I have used all my tricks to help Sharni labour to keep baby in a good position.
Sharni’s sensations are close and strong and she has lots of pressure in her bottom. Baby’s heart rate since having the fetal clip, shows she is very happy. All wonderful signs that she is continuing to move forward and closer to meeting her baby. Sharni had a strong desire to avoid an epidural as we had all felt in reflection that it had contributed to her needing a cesarean with Halle; in her despair, she asks the midwife if she could have an epidural. Without missing a beat, the midwife replies “yes, if that’s what you want.”
Kody, a man of few words, finds his voice at this moment. While gently stroking Sharni’s face and head, he reminds her that this is something she was strongly against this time. Ultimately, we will support and honour whatever path Sharni chooses to take. This is her body and her baby; I solely trust she will make the right decision for her. There is no wrong or right way to birth your baby. It doesn’t go any further than that. And my amazing, brave, and resilient birthing goddess soldiers on. I am just so proud of Sharni; I am praying that her journey to welcome her baby up into her arms is nearly here.
With the bleeding, the meconium and now Sharni feeling a strange pain in her lower abdomen, there are added concerns to Sharni’s and her baby’s wellbeing. One of the head Obstetricians will now take over Sharni’s care - A gently spoken and calm Ob who is going to monitor and keep a close eye on Sharni until her baby is born.
3.20pm: Due to the unusual pain in Sharni’s lower abdomen, our new Ob would like to examine Sharni and perform an internal examination. Thankfully, all seems fine. She shares that Sharni’s baby liked a tickle on her head. She also smiles and informs us that Sharni is 10cm dilated and if she is feeling ready, then her body is ready to birth her baby. We are all overjoyed with excitement. My goodness, the finish line is that close, I can already imagine Sharni holding her baby.
When put to the test, Sharni continued courageously to rise to each challenge. Even in her moments of doubt, she found her way back to where she needed to be. She has one last hurdle to come. Bringing this baby earthside.
Sharni is focused, pushing with every breath she has. We all help her get into different positions to see what feels and works best for her. This baby is having a bit of trouble coming through the S bend. Our Ob keeps popping in to check, encouraging Sharni that she can do this without her intervening.
Kody, our midwives and I, never stopped believing in Sharni. We know she can do this.
As time keeps ticking on, baby Heys is making progress but hasn’t made her grand debut. Our Ob again wanders into the room to see Sharni, explaining that the baby is getting tired and needs to be born soon. She mentions baby may benefit from some help from the ventouse. She also mentions an episiotomy. With hearing the words “episiotomy,” Sharni voices a firm “NO.”
Sharni again reaches deep inside her soul to muster all the might she has left. I feel shivers like I can feel her guardian angels surrounding her as her she boldly and bravely takes on her final challenge to birth her precious baby into the world, unassisted.
The lights stay dim. Our Ob watches on with the light of my iPhone so as not to disturb the sacred birthing space.
Sharni, “Believe in yourself and all that you are. Know that there is something inside of you that is greater than any obstacle.”
“Let choice whisper in your ear and love murmur in your heart. Be ready here comes life.”- Meyer Angelou
5.00 pm: The moment where time stands still, and you realise that every single sensation was a gift. A warm glow of unconditional love, quietness and peace fills the room. Beaming smiles and tears as we have the honour to be present at the moment the clock ticks to 5.03 pm. We all stand to witness the miracle of birth as a very healthy and happy baby girl finally makes her unassisted debut up into the long-awaited and loving arms of her mother.
Sharni, my birthing goddess, you did it xx I can’t even express with words how proud I am of you. I am so honoured to be a part of your birth journey for a second time.
Indi Grace Heys born on the 29th of March 2022 at 5.03 pm
8 pounds and 5 ounces of extreme cuteness. Surprising both her fair-haired parents with the perfect amount of dark hair. A perfect little sister for Halle Mae
I would love to say that this was the end of any more bumps in the road for Sharni. As I left that evening, I noticed that Sharni had a very high-pitched voice. She also mentioned a popping feeling in her chest to me and the midwives.
When an older, more experienced midwife that Sharni knew came to visit her, Sharni told of her these concerns. It came to light she had heard of this once before. Further tests with an x-ray confirmed that Sharni has developed a very rare condition called “Hamman’s Syndrome,” a rare complication of labour and birth. It has been reported in all stages of labour but usually occurs in the second stage, where the labour has been long and there has been a lot of straining with pushing.
Hamman’s syndrome is a rare condition and is believed to be 1 in 100,0000 births.
The pathophysiology of this condition is rupture of alveoli and seepage of air through broncho vascular connective tissue. Diffusion of air to subcutaneous tissues results in subcutaneous emphysema. In most cases, it is a benign condition and resolves spontaneously.
Thankfully, this will be the case for Sharni.
Just to finish it all off, Sharni also requires a blood infusion for a postpartum bleed.
Sharni takes all of this in her stride, not letting it take away from the triumph of fulfilling her personal wish to achieve a vaginal birth. Most importantly, embracing all the love, happiness and joy that she is now experiencing, as she gets to know and treasure her new little baby daughter, Indi Grace.