191 | Mel Dimmitt Emergency Caesarean, Special Needs Child, Cerebral Palsy

In this week’s episode, I interview Melanie Dimmitt about her two births and her experience as a special needs mum. Mel talks us through the moment she was in the hospital with her first baby, Arlo, awaiting an induction. She was watching the fetal heart rate monitor when she noticed a dramatic fall in Arlo’s heartbeat. Ten minutes later he was born via emergency cesarean and once awake, Mel was wheeled into NICU to meet her baby boy. Mel and her husband Rohan stayed positive in the months that followed but when Arlo was six-month-old he was given a diagnosis of Cerebral Palsy and they started a daily treatment plan with a variety of specialists. Overwhelmed by their new reality, Mel used her journalism skills to reach out to a variety of special needs parents. The result is @the_special_book; an uplifting companion for parents who are navigating their child’s diagnosis in an often overwhelming (and initially terrifying) special needs world. If you'd like my FREE guide on perineal massage click If you'd like my FREE 5-minute breathing exercise click Follow us on Instagram to keep the conversation going. To learn more about The Birth Class  my online childbirth education course head to the shop See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.