Jordan | MGP, physiological first birth, The Birth Class, pelvic floor physio

“I didn’t go in saying I must have a natural birth. I just wanted to let my body do what it needed to do.”

Jordan lives in Sydney with her husband Michael and their brand new daughter Hallie May, named after her ninety-year-old grandmother Helena, whose birthday falls on the very day we recorded this episode.

Getting Into the MGP

Jordan’s GP referred her to the midwifery group practice at the Royal Hospital for Women in Randwick early in her pregnancy, and she was accepted at fifteen weeks. She was allocated her own midwife, as well as a student midwife who followed her throughout the entire pregnancy and birth, and had access to the full group of midwives as backup cover. The continuity of care, she says, was extraordinary, and the postnatal home visits in those first days made an enormous difference.

“I just couldn’t believe you get a pretty much private midwife for free on Medicare.”

Symphysis Pubis Dysfunction

From sixteen weeks Jordan experienced symphysis pubis dysfunction, managing it throughout a physically demanding job that had her on her feet at weddings until thirty-eight weeks. She saw a pelvic floor physio from sixteen weeks onwards, wearing a support belt and compression socks through every event, and had a pelvic floor release session just three days before giving birth.

“I really think having a pelvic floor physio is the most important thing throughout your pregnancy. Just being able to have somebody show you what to do. It’s invaluable.”

She also touches on how helpful those sessions were for birth preparation, helping her understand how to release rather than grip, and why that brain-muscle connection matters so much when labour gets intense.

Labour at Home

Labour began in the early hours of a Sunday morning with period-like cramps. Jordan went back to sleep, sent her husband to tennis in the morning, and was still emptying the dishwasher when she decided to put the TENS machine on just in case. She had no waters breaking, no dramatic gush, just a gradually intensifying wave pattern that she rode at home on all fours on a soft mat in the lounge room.

“You definitely are riding the wave. You know it’s gonna end. So you’re like, okay, just gotta get to the next one.”

Her MGP midwife came out to the house to assess her and, unable to give a dilation number because the baby’s head was right there, simply said, “If you want to go, we can go.” Jordan was shocked. She had been expecting a long slog.

The Birth Centre

They dropped the dog at her in-laws on the way to the hospital, and Jordan arrived at the birth centre at two o’clock. She tried the shower, felt sick, hit transition, told everyone she couldn’t do it, and then got into the bath. Hallie was born at three twenty-seven. Twelve minutes of pushing. Her husband, stationed at the business end by choice, guided her through bearing down. Neither of them knew the gender, and when the midwife lifted Hallie onto Jordan’s chest, everyone in the room was surprised.

“He looked and said, it’s a girl, oh my god. Even our midwife thought it was a boy. We were all shocked.”

Hallie was born weighing two point eight five kilograms, pink and clean from the water, straight onto Jordan’s chest. Delayed cord clamping until the cord went white, a full presentation of the placenta for a very curious husband, cheese toasties and apple juice in the double bed, and a private room on the ward because it was a quiet Sunday. A grade two tear was sutured and has been healing well.

Eleven Days In

Jordan is feeding well, sleeping in shifts with her husband, and leaning on the preparation she did in pregnancy. She read both of Sophie’s books, completed The Birth Class course, and credits that preparation with helping her feel calm and informed rather than frightened going into birth.

“Going into it just being open to whatever was going to happen, I let my body do what it wanted to do.”

Her MGP midwives have visited twice at home since discharge, checking stitches and feeding, and she is already dreading the discharge appointment next week.

This is a beautiful, joyful episode for anyone preparing for a first birth and wanting to hear what it can look like when preparation, support and trust in the body all come together.