Transition is hard, but worth it

It wasn’t long after Elrika and I had our longest labour and birth, when Elrika told me she was moving to Witbank. And so began my “labour” and “transition” to private practice on my own. I took some time out in February (my early labour) to gather my strength and try to plan how I was going to face this. However, as we know, not much in labour and birth can be planned for, so I decided to give it my best shot and take it as it comes.

In March it literally felt like I hit the ground running, kind of like the mom’s whose labours start with 3-minute apart contractions from the start. I did a total of 11 births in March and 7 of those happened in 3 days! It was tough, but I managed and came out the other side knowing I could do this.

The next couple of months were calmer, kind of like the break between active labour and transition! This gave me an opportunity to really settle down and dig deep in terms of planning what is working and what isn’t. The practice had a mini makeover with a small change to the logo and some documentation. I knew that I loved what I was doing, but learning to be my own pillar of strength was hard! I think everyone in labour realizes at some point, that they are the only ones that can get themselves through. They can have support from those around them but inevitably it is inner strength that pulls you through!

Every birth through the year taught me something new. I was pleased to have some months where I was only doing homebirths, my great passion. I think what I learnt the most, is that I am merely a facilitator and a guide to every client that comes my way. I will be there to support them and give them information, but inevitably the client will have the last say and decide which direction she wants to take! I have loved watching women take back their power in the birthing world, whether that is in declining induction, or trusting their bodies and babies regardless of size.

I think the birthing world still has a long way to go in terms of gaining the power back from an over medicalised approach, but it is changing and woman are gaining momentum. I am really proud of all I’ve achieved this year, including completing the Certified Sensitive Midwife Course. Looking back on the stats, I had an 85% natural birth rate and a 77% vbac success rate! I know this is mostly due to the courage within each and every client I supported but I’m pleased that together we dug deep and came out the other side smiling, regardless of how the birth was achieved. Transition is hard regardless; we just need to know where to pull on our resources for support. Now that the “baby is born”, I look forward to continuing this practice as well as adding other ways to better support my client’s and their families.