My Birth Story: After six devastating pregnancy losses, Keira Rumble welcomed her baby boy.

This post deal with pregnancy loss, and could be triggering for some readers.

Birth: there's nothing quite like it, and it's clear no two birth stories are the same. Which is why we're asking everyday women and some of our favourite celebrity mums to share theirs, in Mamamia's My Birth Story series. 

This week we profile the founder of Krumbled Foods and Habitual Beauty, Keira Rumble, who is mum to four-month-old baby Hunter. Keira welcomed her son Hunter in July following six devastating pregnancy losses including a heterotopic pregnancy.

Keira Rumble and her husband Anthony met and fell in love nine years ago. 

Keira always knew she wanted to be a mum, but the couple didn’t officially start trying to have a baby until early 2019.

"We had already experienced two miscarriages when I discovered I was pregnant again in January," Keira says.

"We had been trying for months and when I did the pregnancy test, I felt like something was wrong again."

Keira and Anthony went to the hospital after she began experiencing pain but they were sent home after being informed that she was likely having another miscarriage.

Watch: A tribute to the babies we've lost. Post continues below.

"I was told it wasn’t anything to worry about but that I should take some panadol. It was gut wrenching and the whole process felt cold. 

"When I was still pregnant, there was this urgency to get me seen but as soon as I was no longer pregnant it was all about just going home and getting on with it."

After a further four weeks of pain and misdiagnosis, Keira discovered she was not having another miscarriage, but instead had a heterotopic pregnancy - a rare condition where at least two pregnancies are present simultaneously at different implantation sites with only one located in the uterine cavity.

"While I met a few amazing and empathic people, I felt my experience was very poorly handled. I documented my journey with videos as it all felt so unspoken, and within five minutes of posting one online, I was inundated with messages from other women who had been through similar experiences of loss."

After suffering from severe pain and seeing a number of fertility specialists, Keira was eventually diagnosed with endometriosis and a rare blood clotting condition. She suffered two more miscarriages before requesting further investigation.

"I was frustrated, and we decided that after six pregnancy losses and so much heartache, we would try IVF to help us conceive our first baby.

"Luckily we found someone with the right balance of expertise and empathy to guide us through the IVF journey."

Image: Supplied. 

Keira and Anthony were told to treat their first round of IVF as more of a 'test round' to see how her body would respond, but the couple received the very welcome news that they were pregnant.

"We only had a very small egg collection and two viable embryos so I was not expecting it at all - it was wonderful news. I found the whole IVF process really positive and fascinating after such a difficult journey.

"I struggled with hyperemesis gravidarum, pelvic girdle pain and heartburn during pregnancy but despite all that, I loved being pregnant. I actually really miss my pregnant belly so much now!"

Keira's obstetrician recommended an induction at 38 weeks and four days, knowing her history of PTSD from past hospital experiences. As Keira’s mum had all four of her babies late, including Keira, she never considered her baby might come early.

"I had been having acupuncture throughout my pregnancy and at around 35 weeks, I started getting some mild cramping mid-session, which we all assumed was normal. 

"Then on the Sunday, when I was 35 weeks and six days, I lost my mucus plug. My obstetrician told me to call on Monday morning and so I did a funny post on Instagram saying how I should probably pack my hospital bag."

Listen: The surprising birth story of Fiona Falkiner. Post continues below. 

At 4am on Monday morning, Keira awoke suddenly. She was lying in bed on top of a towel thanks to night sweats but she had a strange sensation that her waters had broken.

"I got up and wondered if maybe I had wet myself and so I went to the bathroom and I remember thinking there was a lot of water coming out! Anthony was standing with his hands on his head saying, 'We can’t have the baby yet, we’ve got too much work to do!'

"We called the obstetrician to say it was happening and went straight to the hospital. We had a lovely midwife who was monitoring me and my contractions which stopped as soon as we got there." 

Keira was hooked up to an oxytocin drip to move the contractions along but she was not progressing at all. With the changeover of staff, a new midwife upped the dose and within minutes, she was in a lot of pain. 

"After six hours of strong contractions, I assumed we must be close but when the midwife checked me, I was only two centimetres dilated and after another hour, I was still only three centimetres dilated. I opted for a low dose epidural to help relax my body but still keep some sensation, and I went to eight centimetres dilated within 45 minutes! 

"I pushed for half an hour and could feel everything. 

"Just before Hunter was born, his little hand came out with his head so my obstetrician, with Anthony's assistance, pushed him gently back in and as his shoulders came out, I pulled him onto my chest."

Baby Hunter Philip Harris was born at 7.55pm on July 5, 2021 with a full head of hair. 

"It was all a blur as that last part happened so quick. Hunter was blue and bruised and had trouble breathing on his own. He was given an oxygen mask immediately so I could cuddle him. I had hoped to have time to bond with him for longer but we only had about 30 seconds before he was taken to the special care nursery. 

"Even though I loved him, I didn’t feel like I had a connection with my baby, which I assumed would be instant, but it wasn’t. And it was even harder to make one when I couldn’t hold and breastfeed him all the time."

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A post shared by Keira Rumble (@krumble)

Weighing 3.07kg at birth, Hunter was a good size for a premature baby born at just 36 weeks. Thankfully, his health quickly improved and after just five days, Keira and Anthony could take him home.

"It was the most enlightening feeling; walking out of special care with my baby. It was really surreal. We got back to my room, and we did skin on skin and he crawled down to my nipple and I just sobbed and thought, 'This is what it’s meant to feel like.'"

After such a challenging two and half years to conceive baby Hunter, the first four months of his life have been a whirlwind.

"I have these daily heart explosions just looking at my beautiful boy and holding him in my arms," Keira says.

"All the heartache was worth it as the difficult chapter is closed and a beautiful new chapter of our lives as a family of three has begun."

If you have a unique birth story to share, let us know by emailing a couple of short sentences to: [email protected] and including 'My Birth Story' in the subject line. We will then send you a Google Form to complete.

If this has raised any issues for you or if you would like to speak with someone, please contact the Sands Australia 24-hour support line on 1300 072 637. 

You can download Never Forgotten: Stories of love, loss and healing after miscarriage, stillbirth, and neonatal death for free here.

Join the community of women, men and families who have lost a child in our private Facebook group.

Feature Image: Instagram/@krumble.