Celeste – Three very different births, Multiple sclerosis, induction, precipitous labour, mastitis

“I went into my birth quite blind into pregnancy, really quite blind as well. I remember kind of feeling that, you know, hospital staff would probably just guide me and tell me what to do and I would just do this and do that and everything would be great.”

Celeste’s journey to motherhood began unexpectedly at 21 when she fell pregnant with Lincoln. Living with multiple sclerosis since age 19, she was automatically categorised as high-risk and received care through King Edward Memorial Hospital’s high-risk team. Managing her MS medication during pregnancy required careful monitoring: “I take something that’s called Tysabri, and it’s a monthly infusion that I get. So when I’m pregnant, I can take it, but I have to take it six weekly.”

Interestingly, her MS had minimal impact on her pregnancies and births. “Having MS had pretty much no impact on the way that I birthed in the end and my pregnancies,” she reflects, though it did initially limit some of her birth choices, including being told she couldn’t have a water birth due to theoretical mobility concerns.

Her first pregnancy was marked by what she describes as blissful ignorance, relying entirely on hospital staff for guidance without understanding her options or rights. This naivety would prove costly during her birth experience.

“I had my TENS machine that was my lifeline at this moment. I remember I forgot to boost it one time, which is a really common story. And you start to, you get the full experience of what the contraction really feels like. And I don’t think I made that mistake again.”

Celeste’s first birth included several challenging elements: induction at 39 weeks for reduced fetal movements, a balloon catheter that fell out within 10 minutes, artificial rupture of membranes followed quickly by Pitocin, and a unique contraction pattern. “I was actually getting my contractions in my thighs. So whenever I would have a contraction, my thighs would cramp up and it kind of just felt like a calf cramp,” she recalls.

The labour progressed slowly despite strong contractions, leading to disappointing progress checks and ultimately an epidural request. However, the birth culminated dramatically: “I dilated like seven centimetres in 30, 30 minutes or so” just as the epidural was being administered, leading to a precipitous second stage requiring forceps delivery in theatre and Lincoln needing NICU care.

“I didn’t end up seeing him until, I think it was like six, six and a half hours after he was born, which again, I was pretty okay with at the time. I didn’t really know that I could maybe request to go and see him.”

Celeste’s breastfeeding journey with Lincoln was complicated by her previous breast reduction surgery and lack of support. A particularly telling moment occurred when a midwife offered formula but warned: “sure, but it will ruin your chances of breastfeeding. And then she just walked away.” This lack of support, combined with misinformation from her surgeon who had told her “50% of women can’t breastfeed anyway,” led to early formula feeding.

Harvey’s birth in 2021 during COVID restrictions presented different challenges. Without her previous midwifery continuity of care, Celeste experienced what she describes as “much worse” care under obstetrician-only management. The most striking aspect was the dismissive attitude of her midwife during what turned out to be precipitous labour.

“She was very dismissive. And I remember she was like, you know, you’re in early labour. You shouldn’t even be here. You should be at home relaxing on the couch. You’re not even active labour yet. Like, you need, you need to relax.”

When Celeste questioned the intensity of her contractions, the midwife responded with authority: “I’ve been a midwife for 25 years. I know… you’ve got at least 16 hours to go.” The reality was dramatically different, with Celeste dilating from 3cm to fully dilated in just 30 minutes.

“I remember when she said that to me, I was like, no, because I remembered with Lincoln that I probably just needed to try a different position when his heart rate was going down. But obviously having the epidural the first time I couldn’t, but this time they hadn’t hooked the epidural up to anything. So I was able to move and do whatever, like move freely.”

This experience led to a powerful moment of validation when the midwife later apologised: “I didn’t believe that you were having a precipitous birth because you were so calm. And she said, I didn’t believe that you could have been in as much pain that you were telling me that you were in.”

For her third pregnancy with Evie, Celeste took control of her care, successfully advocating for acceptance into the Community Midwifery Programme despite her MS diagnosis. “I wrote them an email quite literally begging for acceptance into the program. I remember I emailed them and I was like, I don’t care where I birth. I’ll give birth at a dungeon by myself. Like, I just want proper antenatal care.”

Her preparation was comprehensive, including a comprehensive birth plan distribution: “I think I had about 10 copies of my birth plan. I’m just handing ’em out like Oprah. I’m like, everyone gets a birth plan, you will read this.” She successfully negotiated for water birth during her induction and took active steps to promote natural labour onset.

“Once I got in the pool, because it was just like, the pain just vanished completely. There was no pain… I just couldn’t feel them. And I remember actually having a brief moment of panic because I was like, how am I gonna know when to push if I don’t, if I can’t feel my contractions? But then I realised that the fetal ejection reflex just quickly took over and I was just pushing instinctively anyway.”

Evie was born after just 51 minutes of active labour in the water, giving Celeste the positive birth experience she had hoped for.

Celeste’s business journey began during her second pregnancy when she became interested in TENS machines. “Originally it was never meant to be as big as it was… I basically was really interested in TENS machines for use in labour. So I really wanted to hire them out.” The business grew organically: “I put it on the website and I launched my website, didn’t advertise it, and someone ordered it and I was like, oh no… I had to go and buy more because I still needed it for my birth.”

The Birth Store now operates Australia-wide, recently acquiring the Bliss Birth brand. The business reflects Celeste’s personal journey and commitment to supporting women through better preparation and access to birth tools.

Celeste’s breastfeeding journey with Evie demonstrates how knowledge and support can transform outcomes. Despite initial challenges similar to her previous experiences, proper support made the difference: “I went to the breastfeeding centre before, spoke to lactation consultants and I feel like I had a lot of knowledge and a lot of support this time.” At seven months postpartum, she was still successfully breastfeeding Evie.

“I feel like sometimes like we can be made to feel bad for our decision, that you wanna put like a different reason on top of why it happened, because you don’t wanna be the reason why,” Celeste reflects on the shame often associated with feeding challenges, highlighting the importance of non-judgmental support.

This episode is essential listening for anyone interested in how birth experiences shape women’s lives, the importance of respectful maternity care, and how personal challenges can become the foundation for supporting others in their birth journeys. Celeste’s story offers crucial insights into the importance of birth education, self-advocacy, and how different care providers can dramatically impact birth outcomes.