Episode 22 with Kat Ballon of 'Derry Downs', rural Queensland. Using calming strategies from 'Yoga for Birth' for a positive birth experience during unplanned c-section.
Description
Kat lives on her family’s rural property ‘Derry Downs’ in Queensland, with her husband and their daughter Charlotte. Both Kat and her husband work for local area health whilst also managing stock on their land.
The closest town to their property is Roma, which has a birthing facility; however, when Kat first fell pregnant she elected to birth on the Sunshine Coast at Burderim.
Burderim had a home like aesthetic (with a double bed!) and allowed partners to stay too. This appealed to Kat and she really appreciated this continuity of support as her husband was present continuously throughout their hospital stay.
In preparation for birth, Kat read JuJu Sundin’s ‘Birth Skills’ and accessed prenatal yoga classes (after relocating, participating independently and as a couple). This combination of reading, research and practical classes gave Kat strategies she could actively apply during labour and birth.
Kat went into labour, naturally, late at night. She didn’t transfer to hospital until the following morning. After a while her labour had not progressed and she was offered the choice to intervene or pursue c-section. Kat and her husband decided to move to unplanned c-section. She was moved to theatre and it wasn’t long before they discovered they had a daughter.
Kat shares her positive experience with unplanned c-section and how the strategies she’d learnt through her study of ‘Yoga for Birth’ can be used for any birth. Kat has a really positive mindset and calm approach, and as she is expecting her second child, she intends to reactivate her choices and pursue ‘Yoga for Birth’ again because she believes that the best way to approach the uncertainty of birth is through cultivating a sense of calm.
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