Lead singer of SA band Goodluck, Juliet Harding, and band co-founder Ben Peters, have welcomed their first child together – a baby girl.
The couple revealed the news on social media, with a post documenting the birth of their daughter.
Juliet writes that despite initially deciding on a home birth, complications signalled by level 2 meconium when her water had broken led the couple to Constantiaberg Mediclinic in Cape Town, where their ‘little lucky bean’ was born on 20 June.
“She is here. Skylar Scout Lulu Peters was born on her due date – 20 June 2024 at 11.05pm at 4.53kgs. Her birth story was not the one we had planned or expected but it was the one that she needed… Skylar was trying to tell us something the whole week. Thank goodness we were listening,” writes Harding.
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Despite not being able to deliver her child in the “calm, fear-free and empowered” home birth Harding and Peters had planned, she says that without the experience of her midwife and birthing team who helped her deliver in hospital, their story could have been “very, very different.”
“Labour began on Thursday afternoon, and we found level 2 meconium when my waters broke. Our midwife came round to our home and after an examination and a consult with our Gynae over the phone, the decision was made to transfer to hospital.”
Harding notes that she had noticed signs of complications in the week leading to the birth, which occurred on due date.
“We had been monitoring a buildup of signs in the days before labour… from high glucose in my urine and blood, to the meconium and excess fluid around the baby. So when small contractions started, and I mean small! Our little one was already getting very stressed and dropping her heart rate.”
On Thursday evening before midnight, the couple’s baby girl was born “healthy, and safely to a beautiful playlist of songs that Ben had put together,” says Harding. “We have been totally infatuated with her ever since!”
The stressful, beautiful birth led Harding to learn the biggest lesson of her life, she says:
“To listen, to feel, to tune in, and ultimately to trust that inner voice, and not let my ego or desire to fulfil a plan get in the way…but to surrender to what the process needs to be. Its safe to say…this control freak has been beautifully schooled by a newborn.”
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Feature Image: Instagram / @goodluckjules
