Mahliha's birth story

22/3/2021

Local mother Mahliha shares her advice for preparing for birth, her two belly birth stories and her advice for recovering and caring for your body postpartum.

Pregnancy

My pregnancy tip would be to keep a diary of all your appointments with what happened, who you spoke to and confirm with your midwife or GP at every appointment.
Keep the conversation with your children and partner open and have them attend all appointments and classes with you.
If you don’t have a MGP midwife, find a great GP or build a relationship with your existing GP. I was lucky to have known my GP for nearly 10 years. He helped me with breastfeeding and asked me to visit straight after being discharged from hospital. Don’t be afraid of a male GP.
Even though this is a celebration of a woman, after having two boys, an amazing, supportive partner and an amazing male doctor, I feel I need to speak up for men when it comes to birth.

Birth stories

I’ve had two c-sections which were intended to be natural births. First time due to a breech baby and second time I had a later c-section booked so I had a chance to see if I naturally laboured before the date, however my c-section was brought forward due to COVID.
The first time I had my support person with me the entire way. The second time my partner wasn’t allowed into the room until surgery had begun.
I found that preparing my body before surgery by seeing a physio or chiropractor a week before helped me feel confident my body would be in alignment for healing and all the upcoming time I would have to spend in bed.
There’s a sheet up so you don’t see anything and you are numb from the neck down. Suddenly you’ll feel some tugging at your body and then a little cry from a beautiful new baby.
I remember being wheeled out of surgery with the baby snuggling me was so overwhelming I began to cry and thank everyone in the room for delivering my gorgeous boy.

Postpartum tips

Having my partner bring me a fresh fruit salad each day in hospital was so nice and refreshing and also lots of water!
I was on a diet of fresh fruits and vegetables early to detox from the medication.
My eldest son helped me nurse my baby while breastfeeding and learnt all about how pumps work so we had an extra pair of hands to help.
And of course always respect the mother’s wishes. Her intuition and her body knows best. The mother of the baby will always guide you. Her body will always tell her what is needed through pregnancy and healing and life with a newborn.

Labour tips

- Seeing a physio or chiro before labour can help you feel confident your body is in alignment
- Your body will always tell you what is needed through pregnancy and healing and life with a newborn
- Eat lots of fruit and vegetables and drink lots of water after having your baby

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