Meg’s Birth Story
When I found out that I was pregnant, the first place I called was The Midwives Collective. It was because my friend had a fantastic experience and recommended it to me. Later on that day, a midwife called me and luckily she was able to squeeze me in. Even over the phone, she made me feel that I’d be in good hands. She sounded warm and considerate. I immediately felt at ease talking to her and was excited to know that she would be my midwife.
I remember our first appointment. Our midwife patiently listened to our concerns and situations. Pregnancy and especially the process of labour frightened me because this was our first child and I didn’t know what I was in for. However, she listened and provided us with guidance and realistic expectations. She was knowledgeable and open-minded and gave me the confidence that I needed to go through the process of pregnancy and birthing. I always looked forward to seeing her at each appointment and enjoyed discussing the progress of the baby ( I even miss seeing her today!). At each meeting, she digested our concerns and guided us gently and professionally by providing the information we needed. She always gave us choices and clearly explained our options. She also educated us with the risks and benefits associated with the choices we made. What I appreciated was not only her professionalism but how supportive she was in our decisions. During my pregnancy, I enjoyed my exercise. Biking and walking were the two major exercises I loved. While my husband was worried about the baby, our midwife assured us that exercise is good for both myself and baby. Another big wish I had was home birth with a pool. She also was supportive of this idea but made sure I understood the risks that are associated with it too.
On the day of baby arrival, my midwife knew how urgent my situation was by just talking to me on the phone. She canceled her prior appointment and came straight to our home. Her gentle, calm presence made me feel immediately better, and she brought peace to our home. My labour all together took about 8 hours, but the whole time she was composed and gave me constant positive reinforcement and suggestions to switch positions. My midwife and my husband teamed up beautifully to support my labour. They prepared everything for me, so I didn’t have to worry about a thing, which made me fully able to focus on the labour. At the end of the pushing phase, she called another wonderful midwife from The Midwives Collective to come over. Perhaps about five minutes after her arrival, we got to meet our baby. As the baby was positioned on my chest, I happily screamed “It’s a boy!” We were so happy to find out our baby’s sex and glad we did the surprise. There was no complication during and after my labour. It is quite fortunate that everything went smoothly and well, but wow, what a process it was! It is called labour for a reason. However, the labour was more beautiful than I could ever imagine. It was peaceful and full of love but took a lot of both my physical and mental strength. We are so glad our midwife guided us through the journey and made it possible for me to give birth in the comfort of our own home. Honestly, this experience could not have been any better. I had my dream birth.
We were full of joy and smiles as we welcomed our delicate and beautiful baby boy. I couldn’t believe I became a mother! For a while, I had precious skin to skin time with this new lovely soul. However, after a while I suddenly felt hungry, so we ordered takeout food and enjoyed it with everyone. After the meal, the midwives helped me take a shower, explained a few important things, and tucked me into bed with our baby. She told us that she would be back first thing in the morning to help us out, and it was quite reassuring since there was certainly a moment of, “Great! Our baby is here! but now what…?” I remember how comforting it was to have her every morning for a while checking on our health, helping us with breastfeeding, and making sure we are on the right track. I felt so privileged to be able to have a safe home birth with an option to go the hospital in a case of emergency. This system is not an option in everywhere globally, and I think it is quite progressive to recognize the choice of homebirth as a part of the healthcare system.
I can’t thank my midwife enough for guiding me through this beautiful and delightful experience of pregnancy and birthing. Her positive encouragement gave me the confidence to go through this beautiful process and made me a new woman.
Thank you, to my midwife, for your patience, kindness, and professionalism. You helped me become the mother I am today.
I also want to thank everyone at The Midwives Collective. I felt that everyone at the Collective was professional, pleasant, and caring. What a team of strong, wise, and devoted midwives! We are all so fortunate to have you around!
Photo credit: Sherida Rae
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Our clinic is accessible, child-friendly, and community-focused. We are located in central Victoria, just past the intersection of Cook & Yates. We have on-site parking and are well served by public transit. Our building offers a Lifelabs and a Rexall pharmacy and is fully wheelchair & stroller accessible. We look forward to hearing from you, and supporting you through pregnancy, birth, and the early postpartum.
Thank you to photographers Shea Long and Ashley Marston, as well as Director Emma Lazenby, for the use of their photos and images.