Jordan – Midwife births with colleagues, 31-hour first labour, quick second birth, rural South Australia

Jordan’s journey to motherhood began after four years with her partner Carl, a farmer in rural South Australia. Living in Port Neill, a town of just 200 people, presented unique challenges when it came to keeping their early pregnancy secret whilst working as a student midwife at the local hospital.

“We always knew that we wanted to have kids. When I first met my partner, he’s a lot more paternal than I was… one of his top ones was to be a dad. So we kind of got to the stage. We’d moved in together, we’d lived together for a couple of years, and we kind of thought, let’s just stop preventing and let’s see what happens.”

An unexpected fall whilst playing netball at 11 weeks provided the perfect cover for her hospital visits. “I broke bones in my foot and tore ligaments in my ankle. So I was going to the radiographer to have ultrasounds on my ankle, and it was a really good coverup because I was going in to have ultrasounds on the ankle and then having baby ultrasounds at the same time and nobody knew.”

Jordan felt comfortable birthing at Port Lincoln Hospital where she worked. “I felt super comfortable with the girls that I worked with… we are kind of very privileged where we are in Port Lincoln because you kind of half have a private system within a public system. You get to pick your obstetrician, you get to see them in your clinic throughout your pregnancy.”

Her first labour began at 39 weeks and 6 days, coinciding with harvest season. “My partner is a farmer and December’s like right in the middle of harvest, one of the busiest times of the year. So he had been working all day. He got home at like nine o’clock maybe. And I said, oh, I think I’m in early labour. And I remember him saying, oh, if you could just, not tonight, because we’ve had a massive day.”

The journey to hospital included a memorable stop. “Poor Carl… he wanted a Macca’s coffee. So we went through the drive through… I remember having a contraction right as we were pulling up to the window to pay. And I chucked a pillow over my head and I was like, don’t let him see me.”

Jordan’s first labour was long and intense, lasting 31 hours from start to finish. “I used the TENS machine, I used the combs, which I really, really loved. And I reckon I squeezed one so hard. One of the little sprig things on the combs popped off across the room at one stage.” She remained determined to avoid interventions: “My obstetrician kept ringing and she was like, does she want an epidural? Like, maybe she just needs to relax… I just was like, no, no, I don’t like, just leave me alone. I’m fine.”

After being checked at 6am and finding she was only 2-3 centimetres, Jordan continued labouring throughout the day. “She was like, you’re fully effaced. Everything’s ready to go. You just have to dilate now. Like you’ve, you’ve done the hard yards, you’ve just gotta dilate.” By evening, she was finally ready: “She was like, you’re so exhausted. Let me just do a check… And I was about nine to nine and a half centimetres.”

“I think it was about 45 minutes of pushing, and he was born at seven oh one. So it was a long time, I think from start to finish, it was about 31 ish hours from very start to very end. But active labour was a good, you know, 15, 16 hours.”

The surprise of having a boy added to the emotion. “We were so sure we were having a girl… I remember asking Carl to check about three or four times… In the end, I think he said, Jordan, the baby’s got a penis, like it’s a boy. And I said, oh, okay. No worries. But I think it still took me like it wasn’t… it wasn’t even a disappointment thing at all. It was like, I just can’t believe I’ve made a boy.”

Jordan’s experience as a midwife was transformed by giving birth herself. “It definitely gave me a different perspective… when those women want epidurals, they want epidurals. Like they just, they really need them in that moment. I think I’ve always said this to all my friends who have had babies after me. I’m like, I actually can’t tell you what a contraction feels like. I can’t explain it to you.”

Breastfeeding came naturally to Jordan. “I was so fortunate that breastfeeding was one of those things that just sort of happened and he just popped on… it was one of those really lucky things that I was okay at it, and he was okay at it and it just worked.” She breastfed Bo until he was two years old.

When Bo was 18 months old, Jordan and Carl decided to try for their second child. “We sort of went okay, like, I reckon we were just laying in bed one night and we’re like, should we have another baby? Like, that’s as simple as the conversation was.” They conceived quickly but experienced a chemical pregnancy. “There was something about me that I was like, I just don’t know if I’m pregnant… I kept doing tests… and as the days went on, they were getting lighter and lighter.”

Jordan’s pragmatic approach to this loss was remarkable. “I was actually okay with it… because it happened so quickly, like I hadn’t even made it to the doctor yet… It had only been like a week. So it, in my head it was easier to go, that’s okay, we’ll just go again.” They conceived again the following month.

Her second pregnancy progressed well, though she experienced more nausea. “I felt sicker this time. Nothing extreme… but just the nausea was debilitating at some times.” The timing coincided with seeding season. “He was due the 4th of May, which is right in the middle of seeding… both boys were gonna have newborns like in the busiest part of the year.”

Labour began when her parents had come to stay. “By about lunchtime I’d started getting cramps and I was like, I know what this is, but we are just gonna be in denial because I’m not ready and I’ve got too many jobs to do.” By evening, she could no longer deny what was happening.

The second birth was dramatically different. After arriving at hospital at midnight and labouring through the night, Jordan’s waters broke as she stood up to go to the toilet. “I got to the doorway of the bathroom, had a huge contraction. And my waters broke all over the ground… I think I started a little bit involuntary pushing, standing up there in the toilet.”

“I literally walked the three meters back to the edge of the bed. They put the bed up really high and I was just leaning against the bed. And I think as soon as I got to the bed, I just yelled out I’m pushing. The baby’s coming.” Her obstetrician arrived just in time. “I think it was like four minutes later he was born… I think as soon as I stood up, the baby just moved and came straight down.”

The moment of birth was powerful. “I didn’t know she was there. Like I did not even know… it wasn’t until after he was born… I just remember saying, can someone stand behind me in case I fall over?… and then I just heard her like whisper in the back of my ear like, I’m here. It’s okay. You’re not gonna fall over.”

Despite her professional knowledge, Jordan found value in birth education. “We decided to get your birth class and… we used to come home after a long day and we’d sit… and we’d listen to an episode and have a chat about it. And it was so good… I think it just gave Carl a few different tools to put in his tool belt.”

With her second son Job, Jordan experienced intense engorgement. “Day three or four, my milk came in and it was the most painful thing ever… my boobs were already big. They were humongous. They were up underneath my chin like rocks.” However, this resolved quickly and Job has thrived, weighing over six kilograms at 12 weeks old.

Jordan’s story demonstrates that even with professional knowledge, each birth is unique and transformative. Her positive experiences showcase how the right preparation, support, and mindset can lead to empowering births, regardless of their length or intensity. Living in rural Australia presented unique challenges, but Jordan’s journey proves that positive birth experiences are possible anywhere with the right support and preparation.