Today we welcome Hanna, who shares her journey through pregnancy, birth, and a particularly challenging postpartum period complicated by autoimmune disease. Originally from Poland and now living on the Bellarine Peninsula with her husband Zach and their seven-month-old daughter Runo, Hanna’s story highlights the complex intersection of chronic illness and new motherhood.

After advocating strongly for MGP care at Barwon Health in Geelong, Hanna was accepted into their newly established homebirth program. Her pregnancy was initially marked by early bleeding and concerns about a possible ectopic pregnancy, though these fears were eventually resolved. As the daughter of medical professionals (her father is a gynecologist in Poland), Hanna found herself carefully managing the information she shared with her parents, particularly about her planned homebirth.

“I didn’t tell my parents because they would absolutely freak out. But I just thought it was like a natural thing. I read a lot of books, did a lot of research, and I just felt like it was the right thing to do for us.”

After reaching 41 weeks and 6 days – just shy of the 42-week cutoff for homebirth – Hanna finally went into labour. Following several days of prodromal labour and two stretch and sweeps, active labor began on Anzac Day. Despite progressing well at home and reaching 6cm, her plans for a homebirth were derailed when a routine blood pressure check showed elevated readings.

The car ride to the hospital was intense, with Hanna working through multiple contractions during the 30-minute journey. Upon arrival, she found herself having to advocate for her needs while dealing with the disappointment of the transfer: “I’m like, seriously, like, just let me go. I need to be on my knees, leave me alone.”

After a powerful pushing stage, Runo was born healthy, but Hanna sustained a third-degree tear requiring surgery. This marked the beginning of a challenging postpartum period, complicated by difficulties establishing breastfeeding and the physical limitations of recovery.

“I was so scared of tearing… it sort of took away like a bit of my happiness in the moment. I knew that I’m gonna have to go into the theater and probably stay in the hospital. And it was like all the things that I really didn’t want.”

The postpartum period brought multiple challenges, including significant breastfeeding difficulties that required support from multiple lactation consultants and the use of nipple shields for six months. Around three to four weeks postpartum, Hanna discovered she had a prolapse, though initial assessments were inconclusive. She eventually found support through a new physiotherapist who helped her find the right pessary, allowing her to maintain some physical activity.

Perhaps most significantly, Hanna experienced a severe flare-up of her psoriatic arthritis around five months postpartum, just as her daughter became more mobile. The condition left her struggling with basic movement and unable to keep up with her crawling baby.

“I was just really down mentally because I’m like, I couldn’t take care of my baby. This was different to what I had imagined… Some days I couldn’t even pick her up. And that’s just been very hard to deal with.”

Through trial and error with various medications, including steroids and new biologic treatments, Hanna is gradually finding ways to manage her condition while continuing to breastfeed. She’s also returned to psychological support to help process the emotional impact of her challenging postpartum experience.

Despite the difficulties, Hanna has found strength in community support, particularly through mum and baby yoga classes. Her story is a powerful reminder of the complex challenges that can arise in the postpartum period, especially for those managing chronic health conditions. It also highlights the importance of continued support and the need for greater awareness of “invisible” conditions like psoriatic arthritis that can significantly impact the early parenting journey.

“I just really wanted to let people know what psoriatic arthritis is really like. So many people I talked to about it didn’t really know about it… I’m a very active person and I was imagining I would be doing all those things in postpartum with my baby and carrying her in the carrier and everything. And I just couldn’t.”