My Birth Story: The Day Everything Went Wrong, and Everything Became Worth It

Content Warning: This post discusses medical interventions, ineffective pain management, birth trauma, and emergency surgery, which may be triggering for some readers.

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On the 6th of October 2025, I walked into the hospital believing I was finally at the finish line. I was 39 weeks pregnant, exhausted, and completely worn down by the constant back pain that had taken over my entire pregnancy. My induction wasn’t for medical reasons — it was because I physically and mentally couldn’t keep going. I was ready to meet my baby and finally feel some relief.

I had no idea that the day ahead would end up being one of the hardest experiences of my life.

The Induction Begins

The process started with two doses of Misoprostol to get things moving. After that, the midwife manually broke my waters using a small hook attached to the fingertip of a glove. It was quick, but it was extremely uncomfortable — a pain and pressure I’ll never forget.

When the Epidural Failed… Twice

Wanting pain relief early, I asked for an epidural. It was placed, but when they did the ice cube test, I felt everything. Something wasn’t right.

Then I felt liquid running down my back.

The epidural was leaking externally instead of working internally. They tried to reposition it, hoping it would work the second time, but again — nothing. No numbness, no relief, no break from the pain that was quickly building.

Contractions That Came Too Fast

My contractions suddenly accelerated. They were short, sharp, and far too frequent, giving me no chance to breathe between them. The gas did absolutely nothing, and every wave of pain hit harder than the last.

Eventually, they gave me a shot of morphine in my butt cheek. It was the only thing that actually helped — briefly. Just when I finally got a moment of relief, they told me I needed to let it wear off so they could attempt the epidural again.

To do that, they also needed to slow my contractions down, so they gave me medication to stop my labour from progressing. It was such a confusing and overwhelming feeling — being in agony, then having everything paused, still with no actual pain relief working.

When Things Got Scary

While all of this was happening, my baby’s heart rate suddenly dropped — significantly.

My Obstetrician rushed in. I was 5cm dilated, but not effaced. I was in extreme pain with no working pain relief, my body fighting against every intervention, and now my baby was in distress.

At that point, the decision was made: I needed an emergency C-section. Immediately.

Everything happened so fast. I was wheeled straight into theatre. They had to put me under general anaesthetic because there was no time and no functioning epidural. My partner couldn’t come in with me. I remember being terrified, exhausted, and completely alone as they prepared me for surgery.

Meeting My Daughter

The next thing I remember is waking up.

I was brought into the room where my partner was already cuddling our daughter, doing skin-to-skin with her because I couldn’t be there when she was born. It was surreal — waking up after the moment I had waited nine months for, the moment I imagined being awake, present, and emotional for.

But then I saw her.

Our beautiful baby girl, Nora Mila Grant, born on the 7th of October at 6:03am.She weighed 3.2kg and was 50cm long — tiny, perfect, and healthy.

Processing a Traumatic Birth

I won’t pretend my birth was positive. It wasn’t. Everything in my birth plan went wrong. Every fear I had felt like it came true. It was traumatic, overwhelming, and nothing like the experience I had hoped for.

But despite all of it — the pain, the fear, the chaos, the loss of control — my daughter is here. She is healthy, safe, and absolutely everything to me.

And for that, I am endlessly thankful.