If there’s one thing Blaize Moloney has learned time and time again — it’s that life doesn’t always go to plan.
First, a dream wedding to her high school sweetheart, Brendan, was pushed back several times due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Then, there was a surprise pregnancy after being told at 21 that falling pregnant naturally would be almost impossible.
And most recently, Blaize gave birth to her second child, Zya, in a very unexpected way… on her driveway on the way to the hospital.
Blazie shares her amazing story with Mum’s Grapevine.
Planning to birth solo
“With my firstborn, I ended up with Hyperemesis Gravidarum and was always sick. I didn’t suffer ‘morning sickness’, I suffered at any hour, at any time sickness. I ended up in the hospital countless times for help. With Zya I was so prepared for the sickness, however it wasn’t as severe. Don’t get me wrong, I was still sick but it seemed not as brutal. Or maybe my body and mind were so used to constantly being sick that we became accustomed to it,” Blaize says.
“At 11 weeks gestation, our NIPT came back positive. We were devastated. A million things went through our mind and I kept thinking, please, I am finally pregnant please don’t let me lose this baby. An amniocentesis procedure was done to determine the results. It was the longest 48 hours. But everything came back perfect and it was a false positive and our baby was super healthy and that’s when we found out it was a girl. The rest of the pregnancy flew by with no complications.
“Brendan just scored a new mining job and was set to leave on the 18th of April, 2022, and be gone for a while to settle into his new job. Zya’s due date was the 26th of April, when he was away. The whole pregnancy I said if Brendan is not there when I go into labour, I want to labour on my own. I don’t want anyone with me unless it is Brendan. I think with baby being connected to mum, she was hearing and feeling everything I was saying and thinking and knew she had to arrive when her dad was still here. Easter Saturday we had one of our closest friends’ child’s birthday party. I was determined to get our baby out before Brendan left. In my mind, I knew it had to happen. I was happy walking around and playing with the toddlers and being active. Easter Sunday came around and we had a family Easter lunch and Easter egg hunt. Again I was determined to be active and chase my toddler around, trying to find Easter eggs hidden in the garden from the Easter bunny.
“That night I felt sore and my feet were swollen and I felt tightness in my stomach. I told Brendan I think I pushed myself a bit too much and to accept she wasn’t interested in arriving early, knowing Brendan leaves tomorrow.”
Blaize and her husband went to bed, ready to spend their last night together as a family of three before he left for his work trip. But at midnight, she got up to go to the bathroom and her waters broke!
“I woke Brendan up and told my mum who was going to look after Jaygar while I was in labour and hospital what was happening. We went to the hospital and were monitored. I felt completely fine and no contractions or any sign of labour was happening. We were sent home and I was advised to try and sleep and come in when my contractions were 2-5 minutes apart. About 3am, I woke up sick and was sick the whole time til about 6am when Brendan woke up and I was having contractions. Zya knew it was her dad’s last day with us for a while, she could feel what I was feeling and knew she had to come now. She made her dramatic entrance into the world so her dad could meet his little girl.
“The contractions were all over the place and not advancing at all. All the midwives and labouring classes we were told that the contractions need to be regular and closer together and 2-5 minutes apart before we come into hospital. I was having one contraction, then 10 minutes later having another, to then 5 minutes having one. Between each contraction, I was able to move and I had a shower and was sorting Jaygar out, who woke from all the ruckus. Brendan kept telling me we should go to the hospital but I was adamant we were fine as the contractions weren’t doing anything. I had a lot of lower back pain and the contractions were getting painful. But they never got closer. The contractions stayed apart and all over the place. Brendan called for an ambulance but they were sure we had time as my contractions weren’t close enough.
“As Brendan stayed on the phone, I got hit with this huge contraction and knew something was wrong. It felt like everything happened way too fast, three ambulance vehicles arrived at our house and they were asking 100 questions and trying to figure out what was going on.
“Two of them were students and it was their first labour situation. I wanted to walk outside to the vehicle, feeling fine, but they refused and put me on the stretcher.”
No time for hospital
As Brendan went back inside the house to say goodbye to their toddler, Blaize suddenly felt the baby coming and screamed out for him.
“We were in the driveway and one of the ambulance personnel said they wanted to check on things. As he removed the covers and looked, he shouted the head is already out, shocked as I did not feel it or a desire to push.
“Everyone stopped and ran over and they were telling me to push. Two pushes later, Zya came flying out at 9:05am on Easter Monday. As this all happened on the driveway and ambulances were everywhere out the front we caused a commotion, so neighbours came to see what was going on. We unfortunately had a group of roofers fixing a neighbour’s roof across the street and one of the roofers fainted and needed assistance due to the whole situation, which I feel guilty about. It was a big commotion in the estate, that everyone still talks about to this day.
“We went into the ambulance and off to the hospital we went. On arrival, my midwife was there laughing at me as she could not believe it. After check ups and the usual assessment and treatment, we were allowed to go home at 4pm the same day. Brendan left for work at 6pm that night, to see us in a week’s time, which was very emotional as this was a huge opportunity he couldn’t pass up, but he didn’t want to leave me and the baby. I was a bit upset I didn’t get the birthing plan I wanted but in the end we ended up with an exciting one. Nine ambulance personnel, my husband, my little sister, my mother and Jaygar plus all the neighbours got to witness me birthing our darling baby girl.
“Brendan was so supportive the whole time. I was in denial that the baby was coming but my husband knew and encouraged me and helped me through the whole process. The ambulance wouldn’t have been there if it wasn’t for him. If it wasn’t for Brendan, Zya probably would have come out in the hallway and I would have been an emotional wreck. I couldn’t have done this labour without him.”
Though it might not have been the birth she planned, Blaize says she wouldn’t change it for the world. Now a 15-month-old, Zya’s birth is exactly how she is now — unpredictable and amazing! A very fitting experience for a gorgeous little girl.
More birth stories from the Grapeviner community…
- Birth Story: ‘I had an emergency caesarean after pushing for two hours’
- Birth Story: ‘I gave birth in the hospital carpark’
- Birth Story: ‘Little Miss Thumbelina’ baby weighs 1kg at 36 weeks birth
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