I'm always so delighted to hear positive stories from the wonderful women that I am lucky to meet. Thank you to Irene for sharing her birth story of the beautiful baby Harry.
Harry's Birth Story
I first contacted Elke between pregnancies. I had some questions about suitability for homebirth and how it all worked. Despite not being a client yet, Elke was very generous with her time, answering all my questions - it was definitely a huge part of my decision to plan a homebirth for our second baby.
When I became pregnant, I contacted Elke within a few weeks and was really excited to book in for a homebirth. Throughout the pregnancy, it was really great to have someone in my corner, providing wonderful individualised care. No question was too silly, appointments were relaxed and professional. I always knew that baby and I were in safe hands and she helped to build my confidence in my body’s ability to birth.
There were some concerns during the first trimester which required checks and scans at hospital - it was brilliant to have Elke to call on for advice and support. Things settled down and we were still on course for a planned homebirth. As we approached the final weeks, Elke worked with us on baby positioning techniques and plans for the birth. It was exciting to think about bringing our baby into the world in a calm, gentle way.
We had a change of plans when my waters started to leak just before I reached term. I stayed in hospital for monitoring until a planned induction at term. Elke, second midwife Caroline and doula Jacquie were fantastic throughout, a phone call or visit away when I needed them. I was feeling a bit anxious about induction. I called Elke and Jacquie who reassured me that induction did not necessarily mean that I could not have the birth I wanted. As soon as I relaxed about it all, and to my delight, labour kicked off naturally, the day before the planned induction!
We had quite the crowd on the labour ward - me, husband, Elke, doula and birthing ball! Despite having a pretty fast labour, I felt calm and in control. Elke was by my side the whole time, holding the CTG in place so I could focus on the work I had to do, while being cheered on by the others. It was wonderful to have my own team as well as hospital staff and it was key in avoiding interventions. Elke suggested a side-lying release, which made all the difference when baby’s progress slowed. Our beautiful healthy baby arrived after a 2nd stage of only 20-30mins and I felt like a superhero :D
Elke’s postnatal care was great, visits were relaxed, respectful and warm. In addition to checks, she brought some goodies to help us and me to recover, we had baby massage sessions and her IBCLC expertise to help ensure that nursing got off to a good start. We were really back on our feet when we waved goodbye to Elke.
So, while I had a hospital birth in the end, I could not recommend a planned home birth more. In additional to super antenatal and postnatal care, Elke made ALL the difference to the birth experience at hospital. I was listened to, respected and empowered to birth my baby safely and in the way I had hoped for. Elke is first on my list to call if I’m lucky enough to have another baby!
Thank you forever Elke!