My labours are textbook..! First one was natural, drug-free, 6 hours and no complications – it was just the pain that I couldn’t wrap my head around. The experience was overwhelming, excruciating, and full of panic, pain and fear.
I went into this first labour and delivery experience somewhat ignorant and naive, thinking that I had a pretty high pain threshold and could get through it myself – well did I underestimate what it was going to be like!! I panicked. It was painful beyond what I could have ever imagined and I still shudder thinking about that experience – even though it was one of the best days of my life welcoming my son into the world. When I reflected on this experience afterwards I considered not having any more children because I couldn’t bear to do it again, but my love for my child and the love I had to give another baby outweighed the pain I had to endure…
Once we got pregnant with my second child, I found myself having anxiety and panic attacks about going through labour and delivery again so I looked into the services a doula could offer. I had friends and family who could be there for me but I wanted and needed a professional support person. Then Stephanie came along… She came to our house and instantly I knew that she was the right person to take us through this experience again. I understood that she wasn’t going to stop the pain all together, but she was going to help me cope with it mentally, and help my husband and I prepare for what was to come.
On the day my daughter was born Stephanie took charge without taking over. She helped me with pressure points and physical touch to alleviate some of the pain, but most of all she was there to re-centre me when the panic would creep back into my mind so I could stay strong and focused and powerful. In the end my all natural labour was very quick – only 4 hours – and I I walk away this time with a really beautiful feeling about my labour and birth, and of welcoming my daughter into the world – not of sheer terror and pain!
Without Stephanie I really don’t think I would have mentally coped as well as I did because she was there with me every step of the way. We prepared together, we did it together and I’ll be forever grateful to her for helping make my experience truly memorable. I highly recommend having Stephanie as your doula!
Kylie – 2016
