Jazz – Two precipitous births, hyperemesis gravidarum, moving states whilst pregnant, and navigating motherhood as a midwife

Jazz Kostov’s journey into motherhood began in 2019 when she and her husband Alex were renovating their first home on the Mornington Peninsula. “We were trying to time it so that the house would be all finished and there wouldn’t be any renovating to be done when baby arrived, but it didn’t work like that. We were madly trying to finish the house when I was pregnant,” Jazz recalls with a laugh.

Pregnancy During COVID-19

Jazz’s first pregnancy coincided with the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, adding an extra layer of uncertainty and anxiety to an already significant life change. As a maternal and child health nurse working in the community, she was acutely aware of the unknowns surrounding the virus and pregnancy outcomes. Fortunately, she was able to transition to working from home, helping to set up sleep and settling services whilst studying to become a sleep consultant.

The pregnancy wasn’t without its challenges. Jazz developed hypertension around 31 weeks, which required medication and regular monitoring. “There was a lot of that, like, re-presenting to the hospital. But everything was fine. You know, there was no flags for preeclampsia or anything like that,” she explains. The elevated blood pressure led to discussions about early induction, something Jazz had to advocate against as she felt confident the condition was well-managed.

A Precipitous First Birth

At 37 weeks, Jazz faced pressure from an obstetrician to be induced, but a different doctor at the hospital sent her home, recognising she didn’t need the intervention that day. “She just said, you don’t need to do this today. So she sent me home, which was obviously amazing. Like I was so happy to go home, but you know, it was already quite a hard time with COVID and just, you know, it was quite emotional.”

Jazz eventually returned for induction at 38 weeks and 3 days. After her waters were broken and syntocinon was started, labour progressed rapidly – a pattern that would repeat in her second birth. “The whole labour was an hour and a half from it was so turned into a precipitous labour and birth,” she describes.

The intensity caught her off guard: “I was just like, I can’t, I can’t keep doing this. Like it’s intensified so quickly. And in my mind, I was like, I’ve probably got another six to eight hours. And I just sort of started to spiral a little bit.” When a vaginal examination revealed she was fully dilated, Jazz realised she was much further along than she’d thought.

Her husband Alex had a memorable moment during the balloon catheter insertion: “He just went ghost white and he had to lay on the floor… I get up with no pants on and I’m like shuffling over and like the balloon catheter’s hanging out, giving him apple juice and helping him.”

Postpartum Anxiety and Professional Pressure

Despite her professional background, Jazz experienced significant postpartum anxiety. “I think I’m someone that puts a lot of pressure on myself to do the right thing and do the best I can. I think definitely because I more specialise in postnatal as a postnatal midwife, I’m a maternal and child health nurse and things, I definitely did put pressure on myself.”

Sleep became a particular trigger: “I found that very hard to just, I think the biggest thing was just worrying about all the what ifs. You know, like what if she, what if I, what if she doesn’t sleep? Like what if I can’t settle her and just always catastrophising?”

Jazz sought help from a psychologist via Zoom during COVID restrictions. “She just said, you know, you’re just being incredibly hard on yourself. I think she actually said to me, you’re the one of the, you’re out of everyone I’ve ever spoken to you, you’re probably one of the hardest on yourself.”

The Queensland Adventure and Hyperemesis Gravidarum

After renovating and selling two houses, Jazz and Alex decided to fulfil a bucket list dream of moving to Far North Queensland before Hazel started school. They relocated to Palm Cove in early 2024, where Jazz discovered she was pregnant with their second child.

This pregnancy brought an entirely different challenge: severe hyperemesis gravidarum. “Around eight weeks, I got COVID and then like eight weeks pregnant, or actually it was probably closer to nine or 10, got COVID and then I developed hyperemesis.”

The condition was debilitating: “I couldn’t drink anything, I couldn’t eat anything. I was literally just, I remember so much of that time, like it lasted until 27 weeks or something. Just so much time spent laying on our bathroom floor.”

Jazz required a PICC line (central line) for IV hydration and anti-nausea medication, administered through a hospital-in-the-home service. “I had that popped in and then they organised, Caitlin actually organised for me to have hospital in the home… they came out morning and evening.”

The hyperemesis was complicated by severe constipation, a side effect of both dehydration and anti-nausea medications. Jazz had to use fleet enemas weekly – a detail she shares openly to help other women understand the full reality of the condition. “It was horrible… I tried lactulose, which is you know, oral like syrup that you take, it tried all the things and none of that worked.”

Returning Home and a Second Precipitous Birth

The severity of Jazz’s hyperemesis led to the difficult decision to return to Melbourne at 31 weeks pregnant. “We just didn’t know… if this is going to last until we have the baby, like, should we go home?”

Jazz’s second labour was even faster than her first – just one hour from start to finish. “I had a lot more control with pushing it with Addy. So with Hazel was very involuntary… With Addy, I could hold her back.” This control actually made the pushing phase longer, as Jazz was initially hesitant: “I just was holding her back. So the pushing actually took a bit longer with her. I think it was like 15 minutes or something purely because I was a bit scared to push her.”

Learning to Be Kinder: Second Time Around

Jazz’s approach to her second postpartum period was markedly different. “With Addie, I think I knew that the routine’s coming and like, you know, we’ll have some predictability, you know, in the near future. And that allowed me to really enjoy it a lot more.”

She embraced flexibility and support systems, including meal delivery services and professional breastfeeding support from lactation consultant Jolene. “I think just, you know, just not that I ever worried about like forming habits that weren’t sustainable for me in the newborn period, like, you know, contact naps and everything… but I think with Addy, I knew that I wasn’t going to be doing them forever.”

Professional Insights and Future Plans

Jazz has since written a book called “Let’s Sleep: The First Year” and continues to support families as a sleep consultant. Her experience as both a professional and a mother has given her unique insights into the challenges parents face.

When asked about a potential third child, Jazz admits she’s more keen than her husband: “I think it’d be like 60% yes 40% no at this stage.” The prospect of potentially experiencing hyperemesis gravidarum again is a significant consideration, especially with Alex now working shift work.

Jazz’s honest and detailed account of her journey provides valuable insights for newly pregnant mothers, doulas, and midwives alike. Her story demonstrates that even with professional knowledge and preparation, birth and early parenthood can be unpredictable, challenging, and ultimately transformative.

You can find out more about Jazz book Let’s Sleep here.