GoodLuck’s Juliet Harding shares emotional birth story after welcoming a baby girl
|Published
Renowned electronic band GoodLuck’s journey from performing on stage to welcoming their baby girl has been full of surprises.
During a Kirstenbosch Summer Sunset concert in March, the award-winning band's live gender reveal stole the show as it was announced to the sold-out crowd that members Juliet Harding and her partner Ben Peters were expecting a baby girl.
Their daughter, Skylar Scout Lulu Peters, was born on June 20, and the musicians recently expressed their excitement for this new chapter as parents.
However, her birth was not without complications. Harding, who shares the band with Peters and Tim Welsh, recently took to Instagram to write: “She is here 🤍 Skylar Scout Lulu Peters was born on her due date ... Her birth story was not the one we had planned or expected but it was the one that she needed.”
Despite preparing for a serene home birth, the musician explained that the journey took an unforeseen path. She added in the post that labour complications necessitated a transfer to the hospital.
Harding detailed how her labour began with the discovery of level two meconium (a newborn’s earliest stool) when her waters broke, prompting a transfer to the hospital after consulting with their gynecologist.
“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,” she explained.
This was due to a build-up of concerning signs, including high glucose levels, meconium presence and excess fluid around the baby.
At the hospital, Harding’s team — which was made up of a doula, a midwife and her gynecologist —aimed to support her wish for a natural birth while prioritising the baby’s safety. Unfortunately, Skylar's heart rate began to drop, indicating distress.
“It was so beautiful watching our team intuitively listening to everything she was trying to say,” she shared.
The medical team presented Harding with two options: a traditional delivery with high risks or a ‘gentle Caesarean section’. Though initially resistant to a C-section, Harding ultimately chose this path to ensure her daughter’s safety.
“I didn’t want to feel like I was ‘copping out’ or that I had failed to give birth naturally. But then in that moment, I went inwards and I realised this has nothing to do with me or what I wanted ... it was about her being born,” she reflected.
Skylar’s birth confirmed the wisdom of this choice. She had a thick umbilical cord wrapped twice around her neck and had released a significant amount of meconium, posing serious risks if a natural birth had been attempted.
The C-section ensured the infant’s safe arrival, accompanied by a playlist curated by Ben.
"I am writing this all down because I have learnt one of the biggest lessons of my life. To listen, to feel, to tune in, and ultimately, to trust that inner voice," she wrote, expressing gratitude to her medical team and sharing profound respect for women experiencing childbirth.
“This is going out to all the women out there bringing babies into the world ... huge respect, we had no idea how powerful and purposeful this would be,” the new mom concluded.