EPISODE 8

Phoebe

In today’s episode Phoebe tells the story of the birth of her first child Alex. Phoebe had midwifery care through her local public hospital which has a birth centre attached. She had a healthy pregnancy with no major health concerns. When Phoebe went in for her stress test at 41 weeks, the midwives discovered that there were some irregularities with the foetal monitoring of her little boy. As a precaution Phoebe was kept in for monitoring and it turns out she wasn’t able to go home until she had delivered a couple of days later.

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Phoebe discusses the challenges of using a balloon catheter to induce labour. She also shares how she chose to use the clip, (also known as a foetal scalp electrode which is inserted into the baby while still in utero) for monitoring her baby’s heart rate. By using the clip Phoebe was not restricted by the monitoring tape that often slips and is uncomfortable for many women during labour. Phoebe drew on the skills she had gained through her reading of Juju Sundin’s Birth Skills to help her reframe the pain of her contractions to assist her through having an induced labour. In her honest discussion of the postpartum period Phoebe shares the challenge of suffering Vasospasm – the tightening of the blood vessels and spasm restricting and making breastfeeding particularly painful. She also shares her experience of having a bladder prolapse which she was able to rectify through assistance with incontinence specialist physiotherapist.