Hello Cameron! A Winnipeg Birth Centre Birth Story

Sat down earlier this week to choose a birth story to share next for you all, and this one instantly called to me. It’s been a few years, but somehow I haven’t managed to get these all down in one place and I think it’s certainly time!

Jayne reached out to me intially for Winnipeg Birth Photography, and while chatting she decided to add in doula support for their second birth as well. Talking to her, I could tell that we had so many of those same views about birth and motherhood, and I was so excited to walk this journey with them.

A little over a week before their estimated due date, I got a message from Jayne in the early hours of the morning that her waters had broken! We all decided to try to go back to sleep for more rest before things picked up, but baby girl had other plans! Just an hour later things had picked up that Jayne let me know it was time for them to head over to our beautiful Odeimin Women’s Health Clinic Birth Centre. I grabbed my things and followed them. It was a beautiful calm night and felt like magic in the air.

Shortly after arriving, Jayne and her partner Lawrence decided to take a walk around the Birth Centre for a change of scenery. Throughout her labour, this birther was so great about instinctually changing positions and moving around to keep her labour progressing nicely. We walked for a bit quietly through the halls, Jayne stopping now and then to lean on the grab bar or on Lawrence for support.

Back in their room, she decided it was time to get into the birthing tub. Many birthers find a lot of relief in the way that water allows you to release more tension from your body. It’s not 100% pain relief, but it can do wonders to help you loosen up and focus your energies on the work ahead of you.

Watching them work together was so sweet. Jayne was a complete rockstar, just quietly taking each contraction as it came, focusing on her breathing and releasing any tension, and Lawrence was never far from her, keeping his eyes on her, offering reassuring looks and words of encouragement, reminding her to connect with baby. Some teams are just meant to work together, and you could tell that was the case here!

Jayne’s team was so supportive of letting her listen to her body, standing back and taking their cues from her each step of the way. After some previous ‘rough’ births in the hospital system before this, attending this midwifery attended birth at our Odeimin Birth Centre was incredibly reassuring and relieving. There’s something very sacred about the way our midwives approach birth, with their deep seated trust in both the birth process, and the birther’s innate wisdom of their own body. I wish everyone had a chance to experience this at least once!

Before we knew it, it was time for pushing, and sweet baby Cameron made her way earthside at 6:18am. It was a ‘quick’ labour by most accounts, but filled with so much incredible love and calm confidence, I felt like I could have been there for hours just soaking up the beautiful vibes in the room.

One of the best things of an out of hospital birth is that our midwives are so fantastic about preserving that Golden Hour for the family. After some quick checks, they were able to settle into loving on and getting to know their sweet girl, and it was an honour to witness!

Thank you Jayne and Lawrence for inviting me to be part of your birthing day, and for continuing to share your beautiful family with me over these past years!