15 Liz

In Your Own Kin

In this week's episode Liz shares her parenthood journey, and life with her husband Leigh and their daughter Sienna.
On a weekend away in Red Hill, Liz had an inkling that she might be pregnant. Liz reflects on navigating this transition, sharing the beautiful words of her GP "that whilst the pregnancy wasn't planned it was welcomed." Liz speaks so beautifully her first scan, and this being a big turning point in helping her imagine this new little soul. "It wasn't that I didn't want this to be the case, it was just that it took me a long time to come to terms with that it was happening now."
Liz decided to opt for a private midwife for her care. At 20 weeks she received a message from her hospital asking if she would be interested in having a student midwife from the hospital support her as well. Liz later shares that this was one of the most important decisions in her pregnancy.
Due to changing covid restrictions Liz had to make the challenging decision to change her care provider for the birth day. At 37 weeks, Liz was at an active birthing class when someone asked her where she was birthing. " And I said, well actually I don't know where I'm birthing..."
Liz pushed back on an induction and agreed to monitoring every second day to give her body the chance to go in to labour. It was at a monitoring appointment that Liz was told that the amount of amniotic fluid around her baby was dropping, and that she would be induced that day. Liz speaks so openly about her birth day, sharing her experience of induction with a balloon catheter, going in to herself during labour, meeting Sienna and experiencing a postpartum haemorrhage.
Three weeks after Sienna was born, at a check up with her midwife, Liz discovered that her blood pressure was elevated. Liz's midwife readmitted her to the hospital to receive medication. There Liz noticed that she had a large red patch on one of her breasts. She checked in with a midwife, who said it might be mastitis and issued a script for antibiotics if needed. Liz was discharged from hospital, and that night began to feel really unwell. Within the next 24 hours, Liz developed mastitis. Liz hadn't been told or recommended by her health care providers to take probiotics at the same time as antibiotics, and went on to develop breast and nipple thrush. " I just remember walking along the street and my tshirt chafing so painfully... It was so painful that I almost couldn't walk." As Liz had breast and nipple thrush, Sienna developed oral thrush. Liz reflects on the four month journey that followed.
Not long after, Liz noticed some lumps in her breast. She flagged these with her GP that recommend she get screened for breast cancer. Liz didn't feel like this was the next best step, and felt as though the lumps were associated with her mastitis. Liz's private midwife referred her to a women's health physio to do ultrasound on the lumps. "It was game changing..."
Liz speaks with such warmth and generosity about her journey, matrescence, and finding the time to foster the parts of herself beyond being a mama. This episode is packed to the brim with great tips and recommendations:
Amy O'Brien Reverence Story
Thompson Method
MCHN Line (Victoria) 13 22 29
If you choose to chest or breastfeed the Australian Breastfeeding Association is an excellent resource, and I recommend having a box of Qiara on hand just in case!
Head on over to @kinbycharlotte to see some