Edna Swart and Reid Stephen welcomed their “little angel” Astyn into the world on April 19, but the birth was “the complete opposite” to what they had hoped, with both mother and baby potentially dying.
The 34-year-old mother from New Zealand told FEMAIL she envisioned a “beautiful, calm natural birth” and despite having an “easy pregnancy”, problems began to arise four days before delivery when the baby rolled onto his back.
Edna, the founder of skincare brand Ed&i Body, said the gruelling 24-hour labour was excruciating and it was difficult to talk about the traumatic experience months later.
At the hospital, the situation changed when Astyn passed meconium (baby poop), which can be dangerous for babies if inhaled and can cause health problems or death in some cases.
During delivery, the baby’s heart rate slowed, Edna developed an infection, and the umbilical cord became wrapped around the baby’s neck.
Despite the best efforts of doctors, an emergency Caesarean section was necessary and Astyn was born within five minutes.
“It was the worst pain I’ve ever felt. I only had back pain from the contractions and no pain in my belly,” she said.
‘A lot of people say that C-sections are the ‘easy way’ out of childbirth. It’s not at all.’
New Zealand couple Edna Swart and Reid Stephen had their first child, Astyn, in April, but their birth experience was horrific. Edna, the founder of skincare brand Ed&i Body, said the gruelling 24-hour labour was excruciating and it was difficult to talk about the traumatic experience months later.
During delivery, the baby’s heart rate began to slow, Edna contracted an infection, and the umbilical cord became entangled around the baby’s neck. Despite the doctors’ efforts, an emergency caesarean section was necessary, and within five minutes Astyn was born.
A doctor kept an eye on Edna and the baby every minute to see (and hope) that she would return to the correct position. But she didn’t.
“I got the epidural but I couldn’t sleep all night. I lay on my side listening to my baby’s heartbeat to make sure he was okay,” she said.
‘At first I refused to have a C-section because I really wanted to have a natural birth. I didn’t want to have to go through recovery when I had just had a newborn baby. I told my doctor to do everything possible to have a natural birth.
‘Lying in the hospital bed… strangely, I felt ashamed of not being able to give birth naturally. I don’t know why. I was so disappointed, I thought, “Why can’t my body give birth normally?”
The next morning, Edna was distressed when the baby’s heartbeat began to slow.
“A lot of people say that C-sections are the ‘easy way’ out of childbirth, but that’s not the case at all,” Edna said.
By 8:30 a.m. she had dilated enough to begin pushing to try to deliver the baby naturally. She tried for an hour, but only managed to expel the baby’s stool.
“The doctors said, ‘We can’t do this, we’re going to have to try something different,'” Edna recalled.
They were also preparing her for a C-section as a precaution and then the doctors and midwives did everything they could to get the baby out.
“I didn’t realize how urgent it was because the baby’s heart rate was getting slower and slower. I remember looking down as my baby was being pushed and pulled so hard that I thought this couldn’t be good for him,” she said.
At this point, it was a race against time that could mean life or death, as doctors realized the umbilical cord was also wrapped around her neck.
The next morning, Edna was distressed when the baby’s heart began to slow down. They decided to perform surgery with 20 doctors in the room, including three pediatricians, and within five minutes the baby was born.
So they decided to perform surgery with 20 doctors in the room, including three pediatricians, and within five minutes the baby was born.
“It was so intense, I couldn’t feel anything from the neck down (because of the C-section), I was so drugged I don’t remember holding him for the first time,” Edna said.
“I couldn’t hug him and all I wanted was that moment of first skin-to-skin contact, but I didn’t get it.”
Fortunately, Astyn was not born with any health problems and did not inhale any meconium.
Instead of staying in the hospital, she was admitted to a labor and delivery unit, where she received 24/7 nursing support. They stayed there for four nights.
Edna opted for this paid service because the hospital brought back “bad memories” of when her mother died.
After returning home with Astyn, she knew she had to tell her family what had happened and talked about it a lot through tears. By talking about it often with her family, she now feels comfortable remembering the traumatic experience.
After returning home with Astyn, she knew she had to tell her family what had happened and talked about it a lot through tears.
But he wasn’t done yet because he had to overcome another challenge.
Looking in the mirror was something that was very difficult for him because he didn’t recognize his reflection.
“It’s a shocking state to see yourself in. Imagine you’ve just given birth, you can’t hold your baby, you can barely move, your body has a lot of fluid retention so you’re swollen and your hands look like sausages,” she said.
“My husband had to help me take a shower and I couldn’t look at myself in the mirror. I had to remember that I wasn’t like that.”
After the ordeal, Edna wasted no time in returning to work and 10 days later she was answering emails.
He recovered and took it easy for six weeks.
After the ordeal, Edna wasted no time getting back to work and 10 days later she was answering emails. But she was still recovering and took it easy for six weeks. “The business was my first baby and I couldn’t wait to get back to work,” she said.
“Business was my first baby and I couldn’t wait to get back to work,” she said.
The period since then has been marked by remarkable business success.
Three months after the birth, the brand recently made $264,000 in five hours, thanks in large part to the launch of a new moisturizer, known as Day Hydrate.
This was largely due to the launch of a new moisturizer, known as Day Hydrate.
The Kiwi brand now has a loyal following of thousands of people who boast about their purchases on social media.
But memories of Edna’s childbirth experience continue to influence her in other ways. She doesn’t believe she can have any more children.
“I’ve always been a person who just does one thing and that’s it, and I think I’m definitely done,” Edna said.
This decision was not only influenced by the traumatic experience of childbirth, but also by other factors, including stress, finances, and the fact that the world is a “messy place” to bring children into.
“Our beautiful son is perfect and I don’t see us expanding our family, but who knows what will happen in the future.”
