Steph Claire Smith – second baby, breech presentation, spontaneous labour, drug-free birth

You can listen to Steph’s first birth story in episode 235 and today she shares her second pregnancy and birth story. After a four-year gap and careful timing around her business commitments, Steph conceived immediately and found herself navigating a completely different pregnancy experience. When baby presented breech at 27 weeks, Steph embarked on an intensive campaign to encourage her to turn, ultimately succeeding at 36 weeks. Her labour was the spontaneous experience she’d yearned for, though it proved to be the most intense pain she’d ever experienced. Steph’s raw honesty about unmedicated birth, combined with her obvious empowerment, offers inspiration whilst acknowledging that every birth journey is unique.

“After Harvey I wasn’t immediately ready for another baby. I was three months postpartum when I quickly got onto contraception just because it was not in our plans to get pregnant again that quickly. For me, I was really just trying to find the new me in this new life of motherhood and get used to that and get used to the change in dynamic in our relationship.”

The turning point came during a family holiday to Fiji. “We went to Fiji on holidays and we saw a lot of families and a lot of them had two kids, and we just watched how they played together and entertained each other whilst the parents were kind of just sitting by having conversation. Harvey was really young at the time but it did make us think about looking into the future and kind of seeing him play with another child.”

As a business owner with her best friend Laura, timing required careful consideration. “I had a conversation with Laura about it because I also knew that she was considering having a child with her partner. For us with the business and balancing everything, it didn’t quite make sense for us both to be pregnant or out of the business on mat leave at the same time.”

After removing her Mirena IUD, which she found uncomfortable, conception happened immediately. “To be completely honest and I know how fortunate we are in this, it was one time. We were ready to try and then Josh was going away to Europe with his friends for a week and we had sex the night before he left. It was when he was away that I started to feel some things and I did a test like the day before he came home and it came up positive.”

This pregnancy brought different challenges. “I felt more nauseous this time. There was one time I was driving with Josh and we were going to see friends who’d just had a baby. What I’d noticed was my nausea really kicked in in the car, particularly if I was a passenger. By this point I had taken my shorts off because they were putting too much pressure on my tummy. I’d taken my hoodie off because I was hot and I’m getting half naked in the car and I was like, ‘Josh, I’m in a G-string, I’m not gonna get out of the car.'”

At 27 weeks, Steph discovered baby was breech. “Pretty much every checkup after that, it was like, yep, still breech, still breech, still breech. I’ll admit I was getting really nervous because that idea of going into spontaneous labour, having a vaginal birth, like all of that started to feel like it was being taken from me.”

Fortunately, her obstetrician Amanda supported vaginal breech birth. “She was very happy for me, if I was comfortable to try a vaginal breech birth, she was comfortable to help me deliver it that way. When I told some of my friends that who have had breech babies, they were like, ‘My obstetrician was like, blanket rule, I don’t do breech vaginal.'”

Steph tried everything to encourage baby to turn. “I started doing everything. I got acupuncture, I was doing moxibustion sticks, I was doing inversions. Our bed actually goes up so there’s storage under our bed, so the bottom where your feet lay can tilt upwards. For five to ten minutes a night, Josh held me up so that I was lying in this inversion.”

She also saw Gabriella from G. Laurie, a midwife specialising in baby positioning. “She kind of checked me out and talked me through wanting to rule out different reasons that she might be in that position. She also could feel things in my nervous system and spoke to me through different visualisations. I was so mentally in that space to dive into that kind of thing and I was really emotional in both appointments.”

The breakthrough came at 36-37 weeks. “He scanned my belly, looked up at the screen and was like, ‘Well there’s a head,’ and I was like looking at where he was doing it and looking at the screen and I was like, ‘But that’s low,’ and he’s like, ‘Yeah, she flipped.’ I was so happy because it meant that I didn’t have to make the decision basically.”

From 38 weeks, Steph experienced prodromal labour. “I started to have Braxton Hicks but they’d come on pretty strong and be kind of all over the shop. By about 39 weeks, they were happening a little bit more regularly and almost like a pattern. I had almost every night I went to sleep thinking like tonight’s the night because things would progress. I’d wake up in the morning when the sun was up and I’d be like, no, it’s just another day.”

At 39 weeks she was 2cm dilated, and at 40 weeks she was 3cm. “Amanda was like, ‘Your body is getting there. It certainly knows something’s happening and this is more than you progressed even so far into active labour with Harvey when you were induced.'”

At 41 weeks and 5 days, they decided on gentle intervention. “Amanda knew that I still was yearning for this spontaneous labour. She knew I didn’t want to be induced with the hormones. So we set out a plan that I would go into the hospital in the morning, I’d get my waters broken, and then we’d see what happened from there.”

The plan worked beautifully. “What I got to experience was the early labour symptoms of having to break through the contraction, but at least being able to chat and kind of feel normal when they weren’t happening. And then that progressing to don’t even talk to me when I’m not even in the contraction, because I’m exhausted and everything is uncomfortable.”

Steph laboured in the shower with waterproof knee pads. “I knew what I wanted in the space and the shower was a necessity. This time I brought waterproof knee pads because I remember that was the one thing I wished I had first time around – I was on the floor of the shower a lot and on my knees.”

The intensity ramped up quickly. “I was like on all fours was the only position I could be in. I tried to get back on my back and was like absolutely not. I was literally screaming. They asked if I was feeling a lot of pressure and I said yes. They checked me and I was eight centimetres dilated and I was like, ‘My God, okay,’ and I was so happy.”

When Amanda arrived, Steph felt the final boost she needed. “As soon as Amanda walked in and I heard her voice, I was like, yeah, I’ve got this. It’s going to happen. I don’t care how much pain I’m in, I don’t care that it feels like I’m tearing in every area, this is happening.”

Billie was born on all fours. “Josh once again was there right next to Amanda and helped pull her out. So he got to see that she was a she and passed her through my legs and up. I just remember holding her under my belly whilst I’m on my knees. She was born so alert, her eyes were just staring right up at me. My jaw dropped – it was cool to find out she was a girl, she was so beautiful and how awake she was, and also just the fact that I’d just done that.”

The contrast with her epidural birth was notable. “The funny difference is I then turned myself around and sat down and felt like, oh wow, I’m quite tender, I’m quite raw. Whereas when I had Harvey and I’d had the epidural, I was in this euphoric kind of, I can’t feel anything down there, I’m just enjoying this baby moment.”

Harvey’s introduction to his sister was carefully planned and beautifully executed. “We made sure she was in the crib and I was ready for a cuddle straight away with Harvey. Then for him to go and see her and if he asked to hold her to let that happen, but not to force it. He jumped on the bed and wanted to cuddle her and it was so beautiful. I just started sobbing watching him gently stroke her and look at us smiling and then look back down at her.”

Breastfeeding has been much smoother this time. “I was so excited to breastfeed and really lucky – she latched straight away, she was a really good feeder from the get go. I was quicker at jumping on things like nipple creams so I didn’t get cracked nipples this time around. My favourite moments are when she stops mid-feed because she’s looking at me and then I look back down at her and she smiles. It’s just so beautiful.”

Having experienced both medicated and unmedicated birth, Steph offers valuable perspective. “It’s been cool to have both experiences with the epidural and not. Definitely the hardest thing I’ve ever done, but God, it’s so rewarding.”

At 95% certain they’re done with two children, the couple are planning a vasectomy. “I’m glad Josh came up with the idea because he knows with me and my past with contraception, how much that has weighed on my head.”

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