Keep It Real – Nicole’s Postnatal Journey

This is the fourth in the Keep It Real Series and we hear from Nicole. She takes us from 3rd degree perineal tear to Half Ironmans and all the hard work in-between…..

How was your first birth experience?

The birth started off well at the birthing centre and we were transferred to the hospital as baby’s heart rate kept dropping with contractions. I found the birth an incredibly wild and painful experience and didn’t like that I had to lie on my back due to being monitored. My placenta came out in a number of pieces and I hemorrhaged badly. As the doctors and midwifes established what was going on, I experienced the most pain and found it all very traumatic. They diagnosed a 3rd degree tear and I was taken into surgery within the hour.

Had you known much about the potential for a perineal tear going into the birth?

Not really. I had learnt some information at our antenatal class about tears but I guess I was hopeful it wouldn’t happen to me! I hadn’t known of anyone who had experienced one or really understood what it could mean. The first few weeks were really painful. I couldn’t walk very far at all and was worried about how I was going to recover. There were a lot of painkillers and frozen maternity pads!

What did rehab and recovery look like?

Because of my birth injury, I was referred to the hospital Pelvic Health Physio, and she was amazing. It was a very slow road to recovery and at times it was hard to believe I would ever get back to normal which I found really tough. But I was determined to return to the level of activity I had before baby and to get back to ‘my normal’ and quality of life. I knew I was going to have work so hard to get there.

In the beginning it was lots of basic pelvic floor exercises and very basic strength work. I certainly learnt a lot about pelvic floor health! I didn’t start any rehab running till around 6 months postpartum and it was very gentle 4 x 30 sec running up a soft grassy hill. It felt ridiculous but I knew I had to take this slow approach..

At 12 months post I was up to running 10 min on/2 min off on the mount and feeling super stoked with my progress. Another few months later I was running more normally. During this time I swam, practiced yoga and also cycled. All of which I believe helped my recovery.

At 18 months postpartum I decided to have another check with a Pelvic Health Physio to get the all clear to increase my training. After this I signed up with a coach working towards some half Ironman events.

At a little over two years, I completed Challenge Wanaka half Ironman with my wee mate Toby running over the finish line with me. The best feeling in the world. I felt so grateful to be able to get back to doing the things I loved and felt proud of myself for all the work I had done. I pretty much smiled the whole race reflecting on the journey to get there.

What was the biggest challenge through this recovery journey?

How long it took. The fear I wouldn’t be able to return to the things I used to do and loved. The worry and anxiety around it happening again when I had my next baby.

You have since had another baby, how did your first birth impact thoughts going into the second birth?

I was very anxious about giving birth again. I did a lot of work to overcome this trauma and found this so valuable. I spoke with my GP, my Pelvic Health Physio, a counsellor, had acupuncture and spoke with friends and my partner to work through it all. By the time baby number two was ready to pop I felt in a really good place and had some good tools in place for the birth and my head space. I had a beautiful and really healing birth and am so grateful for that.

Any final reflections of advice for others?

From my experience, I really advocate on the topics of birth trauma and pelvic floor health. I’m open in speaking to friends about it and hope it becomes something that is more openly shared and supported. It’s so important to get help where needed for both physical and mental well-being. Always remembering to be patient and all good things take time.

Thanks to Nicole for sharing this pretty incredible journey, and should highlight to us all what can be done with hard work and determination. And another great reminder to talk openly about these topics so we can all support each other.

Thanks Nicole x