Welcome to the latest instalment of our Real Life Birth Story written by the gorgeous Brea Walker!

Brea is a mum to gorgeous 4-year-old twin boys and a 20-month-old boy, as well as a step mum to a 10-year-old girl. She is a mummy blogger and small business owner of an online shop – Mamma Bee. Mamma Bee is an online baby and kids shop that provides practical products that are loved and tested by parents all over Australia.

Make sure you check out her story, and then head over to her website for some gorgeous goodies for infants, newborns and mummas!

I hope you enjoy reading this story as much as I did xxx

My VBAC Induction

I knew I was pregnant before I even had completed a pregnancy test.

The sensitive nose was all I needed to know that I was pregnant. We had been planning to have another one. We always said that we wanted to have finished our family before we were 35. My husband has a daughter from a previous relationship and we had 20-month-old twin boys.

I had a very normal first trimester but at 22 weeks I started to get the itch. I know this itch because I had it during my twin pregnancy.

The itch starts with a gradually– like dry skin but as your levels increase the intensity increased and before you know it you are scratching to the point of breaking the skin.

The condition is called Obstetric Cholestasis (keep an eye out for Brea’s post about this next Sunday!) and the easiest way to explain what is happening is bile acids that would normally be excreted from your body build up and try to leave your body through other ways (i.e. – through the skin). This build-up of bile acids is picked up in liver function tests and for most the only relief is giving birth. Yes, drugs are available to help reduce the bile acid levels but in many cases the symptoms do not disappear.

I was monitored from 22 weeks with weekly bloods and checking on the bubs heart rate and movements.

Due to an increased risk of still births they recommend induction at 36 weeks or earlier if they are concerned. So, at exactly 36 weeks we rocked up to the hospital to start the induction process. As I was attempting a VBAC, I was booked in to have the balloon catheter the night before.

I have a very low tolerance to pain but I must say this was an extremely uncomfortable process. Someone told me that it was slightly more uncomfortable than a paps smear. I think that person was just trying to make me more relaxed – although the process is very similar the pain level is more like your uterus being blown up like a balloon.

Attempt number 1 was bearable, that was until the balloons were inflated with water and she lightly tugged to make sure they were inserted correctly. As she yanked at it I had this extremely painful pressure and was notified that it fell out and we had to start again.

Attempt number 2 was unbearable. It felt like she took forever to position this catheter. She kept saying sorry just a little longer. When she said it was over I was relieved and then she mentioned she hadn’t filled the balloons. I swear that this midwife had placed a massive helium balloon up there.

Now they did mention that if the pain was unbearable they can take a little water out of the balloons but I sucked it up, took some pain relief, had a super-hot shower for what felt like hours and then curled up in bed.

In the morning, we were sent down to the delivery room for my waters to be broken and to start the drip. Unfortunately for me the balloon had not worked at all. I was starting my day at 1cm dilated and with intact waters.

Knowing that my pain threshold was not good, I opted for an epidural immediately when the induction was started. I had been warned that induction is a stronger painful labour as your body doesn’t get as long to prepare for the birth.

They were correct.

I cannot tell you the exact time but I believe that from induction to birth there were 5 hours.

Everything was going like clockwork. I felt each contraction although all I could feel was a tightening. They started getting closer together and went for longer. But as the contractions would finish, my bubs heart rate would dramatically drop.

I was rolled from side to side to try and help with his heart rate but it kept plummeting lower and lower.
The second I reached 10cm I was instructed to start pushing and pushing as hard as I could with every single contraction.

I felt my heart rate starting to increase as I became nervous that something was wrong.

3 doctors walked into the room as well as several midwives and consent was given for suction to be placed on his head to help assist with a fast delivery. On the first contraction, the suction slipped off his head. It was reinserted and he was born on the very next contraction.

Xavier Henry Edward was born purple.

His face was so swollen and bruised that you could hardly recognise him. He had what looked like a little kippah on the side of his head. This was caused by the suction on the second attempt.

I had a very quick hold and then he was rushed away as his breathing deteriorated. He was given oxygen immediately but ended up with a pneumothorax and was rushed off to NICU to be placed on a sleep apnoea machine.

I don’t remember much after that. I know that I kept asking how he was.

My husband was with him so I was a little relieved knowing he had his daddy but they were taking ages to stitch me up. I found out later that I had tearing to both sides plus internal tearing halfway up the birth canal. At the time, I didn’t care as I was more worried about my baby.

That first night was a blur. Visitors came and went but I do not have any recollection of it. I do remember being wheeled down to the NICU for a quick cuddle but was so exhausted I couldn’t hold him. I passed out – only to wake to my phone alarm every 4 hours to start expressing for Xavier.

I was so lucky that Xavier only spent 24 hours in NICU before they gave the all clear for him to go to the ward with me. Everything started to improve at this stage. I was exhausted but we were not worried because this was normal.

We had to place a sign on the door to warn the nurses that Xavier was breathing fine he was just very bruised. But still we had several mid night false alarms when I was not awake to warn them. The swelling started to disappear and the bruises lightened and concerns started on his skin colour. Blood results confirmed he was jaundice – he spent 1.5 days in what I called the “Blue light Disco”.

We finally were starting to show some progress on day 4 and discussion was made about our discharge and routine bloods were taken for me for some reason. It was then they realised that I needed an iron infusion so we were hospital bound for another night.

My body took a very long time to recover from the stitches. The sting continued for 6 months postpartum.

My immune system however took a big beating after Xavier’s birth. I was diagnosed with Shingles when he was 5 weeks old. The shingles wrapped just under my breast and continued to my spine.

For close to 2 weeks I had to be super careful to make sure that I covered each part of the rash. They said that the chances that a breastfeed baby would contract chicken pox was miniscule due to the antibodies in the milk but I was not taking any chances.

Today I have a healthy happy and very active 18-month-old. Without the help of some amazing midwives, doctors and Special Care Nurses we may have faced a very different and unpleasant outcome.

Want to buy some amazing goodies from Brea’s shop, and follow her blog while you’re at it? Well, do yourself a favour and head to the following platforms and check her out today! xxx

Website – https://www.mamma-bee.com.au

Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/mammabee/

Facebook – www.facebook.com/mammabeeboutique 

And do you want to share YOUR story with the mummalifelovebaby readers? Well, fill out your details in the comments box below and I will send you details on how YOU can be part of this amazing series! xx

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