Is that a leopard in your pants!
(Appears in BB June04, issue24)
Written by Gabby Targett, Doula to and Bronwyn and Michael Edited
/Additional notes by Bronwyn Bell
Bronwyn contacted me to discuss her concern for not having the
right support around her for the type of birth experience she would
like. This, from a Doulas perspective is often the case and where
other medical professionals fear to go for litigation reasons: a Doula
will not balk at the idea! Hence, this is how I came to be BronwynÕs
birth support person along with her husband Michael in King Edward
Hospital. The following story is about sheer determination, strength
and courage on Bronwyn's part to experience a very positive and powerful
labour and birth experience from an Insulin Dependent Diabetes/VBAC
perspective.
Going into this experience with Bronwyn we had many discussions and
birth ideas/plans being created. Right from the outset, I knew that
Bronwyn had the strength of character to make her dream come true
of having a vaginal birth, and the will to succeed. How she made this
possible was to go straight to the head honcho of the hospital who
was DR Michael Humphrey (Director Obstetric & Gynaecological Clinical
Care Units). It was here she clearly stated what she wanted and how
she wanted the staff to assist and support her and not hinder her
in anyway when she went into labour. Bronwyn's reasoning for instigating
this appointment with the head honcho was because she had already
prior to this appointment, met with the general medical staff to present
her ideal birth plan, and was told point blank that having a VBAC
as a person living with diabetes was out of the question and furthermore,
"you have to be kidding donÕt you?" So this is where much
of it all started from, the research, investigation and education
about other women who had been in the same predicament and how they
went about making their choices. Why shouldn't a woman be allowed
to go into labour if she so chooses as a VBAC, diabetic anyway? Well,
first and foremost a VBAC has to go into labour naturally, as they
will not be induced due to the risk of rupture of the uterine wall.
Secondly, research shows that living with diabetes significantly increases
the risk of the baby dying in utero if the mother chooses to go past
the 40-week duration of gestation. That leaves a woman in this position
with few options and Bronwyn decided she had one chance, and that
was to go into labour naturally prior to the 40-week mark. This is
however easier said than done!
Armed with the right people behind her, and the most outstanding
understanding, education and information about the hospital (of just
what is and is not going to be allowed) in terms of hospital policy
and procedures, Bronwyn cohered her body to go into labour naturally.
How? you might ask. Well, Bron had Acupressure, Acupuncture, Homeopathic,
Reflexology, Raspberry Leaf Tea, Sex and more Sex, hot hot Curry,
followed by the last ditch attempt on week 39 and six days later Castor
Oil. Yuck, you might say but "a womanÕs got to do what a womanÕs
gotta do!" On the day of the scheduled C-Section, Bronwyn went
into labour naturally.
From the moment I was with Bronwyn labouring I could see the determination
in her eyes. This was a woman who really trusted her body and was
determined to give labour a go. It is at home she stayed for the first
part of her labour, moving about from the shower to the lounge room
floor, to the chair and back to the shower. All whilst she wore her
lovely leopard print pads in her undies! Something I had never seen
before which kept us laughing all night and into the next day, it
was a funny sight to say the least. Maybe these pads were a metaphor
for who she is, and what she represented. The cat of all cats, strong,
proud and fearless in her quest for success.
In the early hours of the morning it was decided by all that we
would head off to King Edward Hospital for the next leg of this journey.
It was here that we were welcomed with a mix of anticipation and relief
in a positive way. All the staff entering the room totally honoured
Bronwyn, Michael and myself for what we were doing. This was of course
to assist Bronwyn in anyway we could I make no mistake in saying that
we were clearly doing what no one else had seemed to do ever before.
For this reason there was a lot of "Hoo Harr" initially,
however once the staff settled in and read the head honchoÕs letter
in the file and were briefed to leave us to our own devices all seemed
to calm down and the staff took on a wonderful supportive role.
Bronwyn spent the entire day moving from the bath, to the shower
to the birth ball, back to the shower, back to the room and back to
the shower.
Hour after hour she laboured away with the strongest desire and focus
I have ever seen. Hour after hour Michael and I took Bronwyn's blood
glucose levels, fed her food and drink and assisted with insulin when
she needed it. Not once was she pushed or asked to do something she
didnÕt want to do, to the staff and the hospitals credit they supported
Bronwyn in every way possible.
It was after 22 hours of established labour that Bronwyn asked to
go an insulin drip due to Ketones building up within her body. It
was also necessary at this stage to monitor the baby's heart beat
and a battery operated heart beat monitor was strapped to Bron's body
so she could still move about. Bronwyn again had thoroughly researched
this option and requested this form of monitoring if necessary. The
staff (no doubt relieved) happily assisted in making this possible.
If anyone deserved to have a natural birth vaginally it was Bronwyn,
but unfortunately dilation of the cervix was slow and the babyÕs head
was still high and Bronwyn was running out of steam. Bronwyn decided
after much deliberation with myself, Michael and the Obstetrician
that she had done everything possible to have a natural vaginal birth
and decide she had given the labour a good go and as much as she wished
otherwise, decided to have a C-section.
Bronwyn had a big baby boy weighing at 4940 grams at 7:39pm on the
evening of Saturday the 2nd of August 2003. The reason why this is
such a wonderful story is because Bronwyn demonstrated how women can
beat the odds and plan to have a powerful birth experience, an experience
that is not considered the norm. With lots of preparation, will and
belief in what you really want, you can achieve and create anything.
What was most important here was, this time around for Bronwyn she
had choices and the opportunity to experience first hand about what
labour actually feels like, and to be honoured during this experience
and to be treated normally with regard to the diabetes. Although the
outcome was not what Bronwyn and Michael wanted, it was still a positive
experience and one that Bronwyn is grateful for having had.
This was truly a powerful fulfilment of my wishes about Jack's
birth. I wanted to be able to choose at all times and I did, though
often I had to heavily back each choice with educated research. I
spent my last hours of my first pregnancy crying and this time I spent
them labouring and it was a real joy for me to do so. I made the choices
and had no drugs up until the epidural for the C-section. Jack was
born with no need for the special care nursery and blood glucose readings
in the normal range (both almost unheard of for babies of diabetic
Mum's). I believe because of my determination to go to 40-weeks (or
earlier if bub had decided so) allowed my baby the best possible post-partum
chances. I also expressed milk daily a week prior to the 40-week date
in case there was a necessity to comp-feed. I am very grateful to
Gabby for her very attentive support which really helped Michael and
I believe we were able to have a very powerful birth experience and
so we did!
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