Birth Stories

Sion Villiers Grobbelaar-Birth Story
Birthing Day: 6 November @ 08:45




Birth Weight: 3.25 kg @ 37 weeks and four days pregnant

I had a strange feeling in my boobs since Thursday. It felt like my milk was coming in but I knew it wasn’t, it was just a feeling I had. I had suspected my baby boy to come earlier, since his sister was born at 38 week and 4 days.

When I started getting very mild surges on Saturday evening, I thought nothing of it. I have had it throughout my pregnancy, so didn’t think much of it. It started at around 10pm.
At 11pm, it was still coming and going and I ran a bath. I timed it between 12pm and 1am and they were 2 minutes apart. I was doing visualisation, meditating and keeping very calm. So I wasn’t sure if I should go to hospital to get checked out.

In the meantime, my husband went and fetched our nanny and her daughter to come and sleep over. We went to hospital at 2am and I was 2cm. Luckily my amazing doctor said they can send me home. At home, I had another bath, cup of tea, listened to hypnobirthing relaxation, meditated, spoke to baby and stayed on all fours on my birthing ball. The surges were very strong by this time but it was manageable. I distinctly remember that it felt like a VERY strong “pulling”. I tried to concentrate on each surge and to make my body go with it. It’s strange how our bodies want to “fight” the surge by itself. I had to really concentrate to go with it and to do the correct breathing. I kept visualizing breathing out like inflating a balloon and letting it go.

At 5:30, they were very strong and we went back to hospital. I didn’t want Nienke to wake up and get scared if she saw me. When I got to hospital, I was only 4cm! This completely broke my spirit. (During this time, I was on BBM and Whatsapp with Anina, Meags, Skitterling. Sumayad and Patricia. THANKS so much to especially Anina who really “talked” me through everything).

I told my husband I have to make a decision on getting an epidural. Before I went into labour, I have spoken to him about me making this request and I told him he must do everything to prevent me from having an epidural. He was really amazing. He told me to go with each surge and helped me keep my focus. Anina was also encouraging me and reminding me what I must do. I found when I “lost control” and focus, the surges became unmanageable. When I concentrated and went with it and breathed, it wasn’t that bad. I went into meditation alot and could rest a bit between surges. I kept seeing Sion smiling and giggling at me out of excitement to meet us.

At around 8am, the nurse came and did an internal. I was 7cm and she phoned my doctor. I refused a pethadine injection several times, because I wanted to stay present. I also didn’t want an enima or a catheter and got up all the time to go to the toilet myself.

When I was 10cm dilated, I wanted to go to the toilet! The nurse let me go on the condition that I do NOT have the baby in the toilet.

My doctor arrived while I was in the bathroom. I was standing over the counter with my hand running under the water. I just wanted to stay that way forever. The water on my hand was SO soothing. I also secretly contemplated breathing my baby down but eventually decided to leave it over to the doctor. I walked back and got up on the bed.

The doctor broke my waters, which was a GREAT relief. At that stage, I just wanted the baby out, so I didn’t question anything. I intended to breathe baby down and was doing birth breathing but eventually I did push. My doctor was really amazing and my husband kept telling me to focus.

After a few VERY VERY hard pushes, baby’s head popped out and he was born! I did have to have an episiotomy, but I didn’t feel it at all.

He cried immediately and his apgar (?) count was 9. They found his cord was knotted after he was born. So luckily it didn't affect his bloodflow at all!

This is us seconds after the birth:



And proud daddy: (I took this picture even before the placenta was out.  Didn’t take pictures of Nienke and really wanted early pictures this time.)



They placed him on me and we stayed like that while they cleaned me up and for another hour or so. I breastfed him, took a bath while my husband held him and then went back to bed to rest.

Even though I was discharged, we had to stay overnight because Sion’s blood sugar was a bit low. I was SO emotional about it, because I’ve never been away from Nienke for even a night. I cried for HOURS, but I realize it was only hormones.

We are now all at home, Sion realized today what all the fuss about boobs are about and now drinks like a champ.

Nienke is so in love with him and reckons he is "her" baby.