Real Stories
Real stories from our community 📖
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Karah, VIC
On a Thursday night my waters broke during dinner at 37w6d, we went to hospital to be checked and told to go home as the contractions were not close enough yet and to start timing them.
Laboring all night and into the next day there was no sleep, we headed back to hospital as i hadn't felt him move as much as he had, we got told everything is okay but i couldn't be admitted until midday, so walking around the hospital grounds for 4 hours must of been a sight to see for other people.
We finally got into a birthing suite, an induction drip popped in and it all started to kick off, fast forward to the late hours of Friday night with no rest, I was told it was going to happen any minute as I was 9cm dilated.
No time for epidural or pain relief. I couldn't sit to go through contractions so I stood the entire time. 3am Saturday morning comes and baby starts to panic. Next thing I know I am being gowned up, signing waivers and being rushed into theatre to have an emergency c-section.
5.20am saturday morning our beautiful baby boy was born, with a cone head from being stuck so down low, 3 days in hospital then discharged to start our parenting journey!
Dominique, VIC
The journey to welcoming our son Leo was nothing short of an emotional rollercoaster. It all began when I went into labor at just 30 weeks due to polyhydramnios, a condition that caused an excess of amniotic fluid. After 2.5 years of IVF, I had a very complex pregnancy, dealing with hyperemesis gravidarum (HG), polyhydramnios, and my struggles with endometriosis and adenomyosis. The pain hit me hard, with relentless contractions that made even the simplest tasks feel impossible. To manage the situation, I was placed on medication to stall the labour, but the pain continued for a gruelling two and a half weeks.
After consulting with the medical board, it was decided that a cesarean section would be scheduled for me at 33 weeks and 5 days. The unbearable HG added to my discomfort, and the risks posed by polyhydramnios to my baby weighed heavily on my mind. Finally, the day arrived. I was admitted at midday for my 3PM C-section, feeling a mix of anxiety and excitement.
As I prepared for the procedure, I brought my own playlist of music to set the mood and something to soothe my nerves and create a calming atmosphere. At exactly 4PM, Leo was born, weighing in at a remarkable 3.07 kg. Everyone in the room was astonished; they couldn’t believe how big he was for his gestational age. Given that we conceived through IVF, there was no possibility of mistaken dates, but the nurses kept asking if we had somehow gotten it wrong.
After his birth, Leo was taken to the NICU for monitoring, where he spent 16 days. Thankfully, he was a very healthy boy, needing no machines, just a touch of jaundice to manage. It was bittersweet leaving the hospital without him, but we made it our mission to commute every morning and night to spend time with our little fighter. Each visit was filled with love, cuddles, and feeding sessions, bringing us closer to the day we could finally bring him home.
The moment we walked out of the hospital with Leo, our hearts were full!
What a privilege to be his mamma!
Why I Chose to Pump
Featuring: Ellie, mum of two from Geelong, VIC
When Ellie gave birth to her second baby, she thought she’d be a seasoned pro at breastfeeding. “I’d breastfed my first for over a year, so I assumed things would be smooth sailing this time around,” she laughs. “But from day one, it was completely different.”
Her newborn, Jack, had a shallow latch and was constantly unsettled after feeds. Ellie was sore, exhausted, and overwhelmed. “I felt like I was failing him, and failing myself.”
A midwife gently suggested she try pumping to protect her supply while they worked on feeding. “At first, I hated the idea. I thought pumping would just add to the stress. But it turned out to be my lifeline.”
After some frantic midnight Googling (and a scroll through breastfeeding forums), Ellie landed on The Night Owl Mumma Owl Wearable Breast Pump. “I wasn’t interested in being tethered to a wall, I had a toddler to chase and a baby to juggle. I needed something hands-free, simple, and quiet.”
The Mumma Owl ticked every box. “It fit right in my bra, I could express while folding laundry, reading to my eldest, or just having a moment to myself. I finally felt like I had some control back.”
She credits pumping with saving her feeding journey. “Once Jack was diagnosed with a tongue tie, I kept pumping until we sorted it out. It meant I could still give him breastmilk while we worked through the challenges.”
Now, months on, Ellie has mixed feeding down to an art. “I still breastfeed when it suits us, but I always have expressed milk ready to go. I wish I’d known from the start that pumping wasn’t a ‘second-best’ option, it’s just a different kind of amazing.”
Her advice to other mums? “Don’t wait until you’re crying at 3am. Set yourself up with support before it gets tough. Pumping doesn’t mean you’re giving up, it means you’re finding a way forward.”
What I Wish I Knew About Pumping
Featuring: Tahlia, first-time mum from Brisbane, QLD
When Tahlia brought her baby girl, Evie, home from hospital, she expected the early days to be sleepy cuddles and blissful feeding sessions. “I thought breastfeeding would just happen naturally,” she says. “No one tells you how hard it can actually be.”
For Tahlia, the challenge wasn’t supply or latch, it was oversupply. “My let-downs were fast and strong, Evie would choke and pull away, and I was constantly engorged. I had no idea that too much milk could be just as tricky as not enough.”
After being told to “just feed through it”, she ended up with blocked ducts, mastitis, and a lot of tears. That’s when she discovered The Night Owl.
“I needed a pump that didn’t make me feel like a dairy cow. The Mumma Owl was discreet, easy to use, and actually helped me manage my oversupply without making me feel worse.”
She used the pump to gently express before feeds and relieve pressure between sessions. “I learned that a full breast isn’t always a happy breast. I wish someone had told me earlier that pumping can actually help regulate things.”
One of her favourite features? The freedom. “I could pump while walking around the house or even while rocking Evie in the carrier. I wasn’t stuck on the couch anymore.”
Now, with a freezer stash built up and her supply balanced, Tahlia says she finally feels confident. “Pumping gave me peace of mind and options. That’s what I wish I knew: that pumping isn’t just for mums going back to work, it’s a tool for every feeding journey.”
Real Stories
Featuring: Sarah, NICU mum and teacher from Adelaide, SA
“I wasn’t ready. None of us were.”
Sarah’s daughter, Remi, arrived in a blur at just 33 weeks gestation. “One moment I was being monitored for some cramping, and the next I was being rushed in for an emergency caesarean. There was no calm playlist, no birth pool, no golden hour, just fear and beeping machines.”
Remi was whisked away to NICU before Sarah could even hold her. “That silence after birth, when you’re waiting for a cry that doesn’t come straight away....that stays with you.”
The days that followed were a fog of hospital corridors, tiny monitors, and learning how to be a mum from behind a plastic incubator. “I wasn’t allowed to hold her for hours. But the one thing they encouraged me to do was pump.”
With the help of midwives and lactation staff, Sarah began expressing milk around the clock. “It became my ritual. My way of saying, I’m here, I’m mothering you in the only way I can right now.”
Once Remi was discharged, Sarah knew she couldn’t keep using the clunky hospital pump forever. “I needed something that could move with me, through sleepless nights, home visits, and eventually back to work.”
That’s when she found the Mumma Owl. “It gave me freedom I didn’t realise I needed. I could finally sit in the NICU chair and express milk while holding my baby. No tubes, no loud motor, no stress.”
Now, months later, Sarah reflects on that wild, raw start to motherhood. “Birth didn’t go to plan. Nothing about it felt fair or gentle. But finding small wins in the chaos, like being able to nourish Remi, even when I couldn’t hold her, helped me heal.”
Her message to other mums: “Pumping wasn’t a plan B. It was part of how I parented when everything else was out of reach. And that deserves to be honoured.”