Birth Stories
July 2004
My husband and I chose Heather Gladwell as our Doula, for the birth of
our second child.
After having an emergency caesarean with my first pregnancy, I felt strongly
about trying for a vaginal birth and thought I would benefit from having
some support to help achieve this.
My husband was able to provide me with an incredible amount of emotional
support during labour. The midwives and other hospital staff provided
fantastic medical care. However, Heather encouraged me to have faith in
my ability to give birth naturally and I found I could relate to her knowing
that she had experienced labour herself.
With Heather present, I felt confident staying at home for longer. She
understood what I was going through and offered suggestions on ways to
get through the intensifying contractions.
Once we reached the hospital, staff discussed the possibility of performing
a caesarean, as I appeared to be progressing too slowly. At this point
I was finding it difficult to remain positive about my chances of a vaginal
delivery. Heather’s presence was invaluable to me as she kept my
spirits high and ensured I regained my focus.
Eventually, after a lengthy labour, I gave birth to a healthy baby boy
– no caesarean required!
I truly feel that without Heather’s experience, advice and encouragement
I may not have achieved the birth I hoped for.
I have absolutely no hesitation in recommending Heather Gladwell to anyone
wanting a positive birth experience.
Emma Palmer.
The Birth of Baby Girl Palmieri
The night before you were born was a long but very exciting night. Your
Mum had been feeling some pains and was trying to get some rest when she
felt a big ‘pop’. The waters around you had broken and this
told your Mum and Dad that you were on your way.
Your Mum and Dad packed up their bags and went to the hospital, around
12.30am, wondering how long it was going to be before they got to meet
you.
For the next few hours your Mum was feeling contractions every 8–10
mins. She did really well coping with the pain. She tried to sleep but
that was too hard so she tried some different things to pass the time
(and pain!) She sat on her birth ball and had a nice long hot shower.
The hot water felt really good on her belly. Your Dad was really helpful;
he rubbed your Mum’s back and pressed really hard to make her feel
better.
Some things made your Mum and Dad smile in-between contractions. Your
Dad had to go the toilet with a torch because there was limited power
in the hospital. This also meant that your Mum could not put her heat
packs in the microwave to use for her back. Your Mum started vomiting
and had diarrhea, this tested your Dad’s sensitive sense of smell
to the limit. He pulled some very funny faces.
At 5am Mary, the midwife came and checked to see how your Mum was doing.
Her cervix had thinned right out and she had dilated 2cms. This was very
exciting because it meant that you were moving down and a step closer
to being born.
For the next few hours your Mum’s pains starting coming closer together
and stronger. Your Dad was a great support – he let your Mum squeeze
him and hold onto him really tight. He kept rubbing her back, bringing
her water and towels for the shower. He was trying to be patient but he
was very keen to meet you!
Around 6am it was time to get out of the hospital room and get some fresh
air. A little walk outside was a nice break. Around 7.30am a new midwife,
Dianne started her shift. Your Mum was spending a lot of time on the toilet
vomiting which was not fun. Her contractions were really intense and regular
at 4 minute intervals. Your Mum and Dad kept working together as a great
team and around 9am a vaginal examination told them that your Mum’s
cervix was now 8cms dilated.
Your Mum got back into the shower for a while– she was very happy
there. Her vomiting had not stopped, so Dianne gave her an injection of
Maxolon to help it stop, Mum was very brave. Your Mum tried to eat a piece
of toast and sucked on some ice cubes. Because your Mum was very tired
she had a rest on the bed.
Another check by the nurse, around 10.30am, showed that you had not moved
any further so your Mum and Dad got back in the shower for a little bit
longer. Your Mummy was in a lot of pain but she was coping with it really
well.
Dianne, the midwife, was worried about you so she hooked your Mum up to
a monitor to listen to your heartbeat. This annoyed your Mum – a
lot! She wanted to move around but it was very hard to with all the cords
and the tight strap around her belly.
Around 11.30am Dr Clarke came to visit your Mum and Dad. When he did a
check of your position he had some disheartening news. He thought your
Mum was only 5-6cms dilated not 8cms. This was a little discouraging to
hear, as your Mum and Dad were very tired and really anxious to meet you.
We all encouraged your Mum not to be too upset and to keep focused on
getting through the contractions.
For the next hour your Mum used some ‘gas in air’ to help
with her pain. Your Dad kept rubbing her back, praying with her and helping
her any way he could. All this time you were slowly moving and getting
ready to be born. After what felt like a long time and some very big contractions
your Mum used all her strength to get up on her knees to start pushing.
For about half and hour your Mum gave everything she had to push and push
and push. All this time your Dad was a bit nervous and upset by the big
job your Mum had to do. He loves her very much and didn’t like to
see her hurting. He was very overwhelmed to see your head for the first
time and very excited that you were nearly born.
At around 1.25pm you were born - your Mum was very happy to scoop you
up in her arms and see that you were A GIRL! I think that this was a big
surprise for your Dad. You were very quiet, you did not cry, you just
looked up at your Mum and Dad as they talked to you and cuddled you. Your
Mum even gave you your first feed.
By 2pm everything was over, Dr Clarke finished his job and the nurses
started to clean up the room. The whole time since you were born your
Mum and Dad just stared at you in amazement and had some pictures taken
so that they could remember this miraculous time of meeting you.
Your Dad had a really big cuddle with you while your Mum had a shower.
It was very clear to see that you knew his voice and knew he was your
Dad, you were very happy to be with him.
It was a few days before we were introduced to you as Jenna Grace but
in the mean time we all thought Baby Girl suited you just fine.
Jenna you have a Dad and a Mum that love you very much. You are very blessed
to have them looking after you as you grow up. Your birth was a very special
moment and I was honoured to be part of it.
Leanne Pethrick
Australian Doulas
February 2005
At 33 weeks pregnant, after phone calls to various birth support groups
enquiring about VBAC issues, I decided to change from private to public
hospital for the birth of our 2nd child. I was uncharacteristically very
emotional and considered employing a private midwife or Doula as they
had been recommended by many of the people that I had spoken to. It was
to be a hospital birth so a Doula seemed the best option for my husband
and me as we would already be under the care of midwives.
On phoning Heather, I immediately found I was at ease with her. She was
enthusiastic, positive and obviously a good listener. Heather passed on
many useful articles that were specific to my birth issues and phoned
regularly when she had useful suggestions and ideas. During our birth
experience my husband and the staff at King Edward Memorial Hospital were
an excellent support to me. Heather was an excellent support to us both
respecting our need for private time, ensuring that we kept up our strength
and provided me with focus at times when my husband was behind me or couldn’t
be there. It was wonderful to have an established rapport with Heather
and have a trusted and familiar person throughout our birth from start
to finish.
Heather’s knowledge and training gave us confidence that we had
the power to affect the birth process in a natural and favorable way to
achieve the best possible outcomes. Her objective advice was invaluable.
I would recommend Heather to any family for her Doula service. Her support
enabled us to have a positive experience despite the many problems that
arose.
Meegan Cavanagh.
5th April 2005
I had never heard of a Doula before talking to Heather. After getting
some information from her, my partner and I decided that we would like
to have her at our birth. My reasoning for this was mostly because of
Heather’s knowledge regarding labour. Having her at the birth gave
me more confidence regarding procedures and my rights. I learnt
a lot about these before going into and felt that I was able to make more
informed decisions before and during labour.
Heather was with Aidan and I from about 4am Sunday morning until just
after the birth Monday morning. I found Heather to be very supportive
throughout the labour. She made sure I was always comfortable with drinks,
leg rubs, pillows, etc. Her ability to explain things to me was a great
comfort and she was especially good in the situation with the midwife
who was very reluctant to listen to my request for an epidural. As my
labour was quite long and for some parts very stressful, I think Heather’s
extra support was very important. Also at times when Aidan had to sit
down (I was holding onto him during contractions which were straining
his back) having Heather there to help me through these was great.
I would recommend Heather to anyone who is having their first baby. That
extra support is well worth it for this important time.
Kind Regards
Cristy Baker.
