Birth can be so unpredictable, but planning ahead helps you face whatever comes your way. Tayla showed incredible strength bringing little Charlie into the world. With her affirmations, her TENS machine, time in the water, and the support around her, she stayed calm and focused through every wave. Here’s her beautiful birth story.
I went into labour at 4:45pm at 41+4, the day before my scheduled induction. Things started quickly, with contractions lasting around 45 seconds to 1 minute and coming every 2–3 minutes straight away. As soon as I began timing them, my app advised heading to the hospital. I decided to jump in the shower first so I could put my TENS machine on straight after.
By 6pm, I called my midwife. Although my contractions were close together, they weren’t yet very painful, so she suggested monitoring for another hour and checking in again. I started using my TENS machine around this time and instantly loved it — it gave me something to focus on and a real sense of control.
At 7pm, we began the 45-minute drive to the birth centre, and the TENS machine really helped keep me grounded during the car ride. By 9pm, my midwife checked me for the first time and I was 5cm dilated.
I chose to get into the birth pool and stayed there until around 1am. My body had been involuntarily pushing for about an hour with no real progress, so I was checked again and found to be over 9cm, but with a small lip still not moving out of the way. At 1:30am, we made the decision to transfer to hospital by ambulance.
This was a really challenging point for me, as I had to try to stop pushing and my mindset was shaken leaving my calm birth space. Once at the hospital, I used a remifentanil drip for about an hour, and shortly after I was fully dilated. At 3:38am, our baby boy Charlie arrived.
It was by far the hardest thing I’ve ever done, but everything fades so quickly once you meet your baby. During labour I really leaned on reminders like “the only way out is through,” “you never have to do that contraction again,” and “this feeling is temporary.” I’m so proud of what my body achieved, and I reached my goal of not having an epidural.
