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About Diana
My pregnancy and birth stories
Hi there, I am Diana, a Wellington based Mama to two amazing little humans.
I remember the excitement and nervousness when I was pregnant with my first, my little son. It had been a very bumpy road for my partner and I to get there after many attempts and three unsuccessful pregnancies. On top of that, when my waters broke, it was green. Meconium! This required going straight to the hospital, no birthing pool as planned and a line was put into my hand for infusions. It was not the birth I had envisioned, and it was only the start of a long 36 hours labour.
So, you can imagine our feelings when we finally held our little newborn son in our arms. We were thrilled freshly baked parents! We were full of love for this tiny bean. We were so prepared (maybe a bit over-prepared) for the big moment: The birth, the arrival of the baby.
We were also so confused afterwards.
The first Mis-Communication
It suddenly hit us that we knew nothing (Jon Snow)! That the prenatal courses we took, and the information we had been given by our lovely and knowledgeable midwife felt like dry-swimming. Our focus had been mostly on the birth itself. Creating a birth plan.
But now we stood before the questions:
How do we care for and communicate with our little one? What do his cries mean?
I had a serious breakdown on day two, still in the hospital. My partner left to get some food, and this was the moment my son decided to scream like he hadn't before in his short, sweet life of 24 hours. After twenty minutes of trying my best to calm him, I sobbingly called for one of the midwives. When she entered the room, she took my crying baby from me, held him over her shoulder (I had done that before) and he immediately stopped crying.
That was a serious hit to my confidence as a new Mama. This stranger, (very well versed in her profession with lots of experience) could calm my infant in the blink of an eye. Was I fit to care for him?, I wondered.
Of course I was! And so are you!
meeting and getting to know my second born was much smoother
Meeting my little daughter was so different. The birth story was similar. I had on-and-off contractions for 2 weeks until my midwife induced labour. I was thrilled because it started out in the birthing unit pool. Until my waters broken and came out in a rich green Meconium again. I was transferred to hospital with an ambulance. Another birth Plan A went out the window.
But what matters most is the first meeting with my daughter. From the moment she was born, I knew what she needed. Her cries were as clear to me as if she would use words to say "hungry" or "tired". Within an hour of the birth, we were discharged from Hospital and my partner picked us up in our car to leave us at Kenepuru hospital for the night.
This time, I rang for the midwife on duty again, not to calm my crying newborn, but to ask for her help to work on a burp that was stuck while I took a much needed shower.
This stark contrast in experiences shows how amazing the Dunstan Baby Language method is. With my firstborn, the experience subconsciously filled me with doubts and I double guessed my instincts. Our son was is a very sensitive little guy who gets overstimulated quickly. And we were very stressed in those first months.
With my daughter, I could confidently ask others to take on tasks, that didn't require feeding. My son learnt some of the sounds too and proudly told me when he heard that his baby sister was hungry or tired. And he always got it right.
I wish I had somehow stumbled upon Priscilla Dunstan's brilliant method (www.dunstanbaby.com) with my first baby.
Her method gives clarity and confidence. We did not rely on checklists or guess work anymore.
First and Only NZ based DBL Educator
My own experience with Dunstan Baby Language was so powerful that I couldn't understand why this wasn't something commonly known and taught by professionals who care for pregnant people. Life takes its turns, and I made the decision, that, if no one else can bring this knowledge to new parents, I will.
I am now New Zealand's first and only certified Dunstan Baby Language Educator.
And I love working with new parents (and parents to be) and their newborns.