Kodah's Birth - by Natalie

"...even on "the day" I was not going to be sure that what I was feeling was anything significant.

I messaged my beautiful doula, Ariel, who trusted my gut instinct more than I did and drove down to see how the day panned out.

Not much was happening really so she suggested we walk...so we walked, we walked our hilly streets and I knew if these contractions didnt pick up then "today would not be the day." We returned home and I got back on the birthing ball and bounced through each increasing contraction. It was becoming more obvious that today was different. Ariel reminded me that pre labour could take days and there was every chance I was going to be sleeping in my own bed tonight*...so here I was prepared for a long labour. Contractions increasing and I zoned out and let my body do what it was made to do. I made sounds that only a woman in labour can make. Dinner rolled around and I was thinkingto myself how could I get through a night like this...I'd be exhausted! Eventually following a moan of "I don't think I can do this anymore" Ariel said yep it's time to head to the hospital!

The car drive was intense. I could only cope on all fours in the backseat at this point but luckily my screams were all the encouragement Alex needed to get to the hospital in record time. They rolled out a wheelchair which I reluctantly sat in...I'd rather have walked through the pain than sit on a chair with all that pressure, but I listened to the doctor and sat my arse down as she got me up to the delivery suite. "Would you like to try the gas sweetheart?" kindly asked a midwife. "No thank you" I responded when I was really thinking what do you think gas is going to do at this point!

They did my vitals and internal checks. They were shocked to find I was fully dilated and ready to push! "You have done so well!" everyone encouraged as I shouted " I cant do this anymore!" "But you're already doing it!" they replied...hmmm they were right I was doing it...drug free...my body knew what it was doing. I pushed through a few contractions on my knees until my waters broke with the biggest gush I have ever heard! And with that his little head descended and it was go time!

Unfortunately my boy had done a poo inside me and wasnt enjoying the final part of his descent. His heart rate dropped and my OBGYN  who had just made it from a birth at Frankston with 10minutes to spare told me I needed to flip onto my back because we needed to get this baby out. Being on my back was hell but my baby was in distress and I trusted my obgyn with all I had. There was no playing around. I pushed through each contraction and made progress with every one. Finally my obgyn said this was my last chance to get him out myself or she would do an episiotomy. Hell no was I getting cut. I put all I had left into pushing and with my final 3 pushes my baby boy was in my arms.

He cried and his big blue eyes were wide as we both met for the first time. He looked just like his daddy and I instantly was head over heels in love. One week ago I didn't know how much love I could truly have for my son. One week ago I didn't know that his cry would make me weak, his eyes would touch my soul, his touch would warm my entire self. 

One week ago I didnt know the strength I would have to bring my baby into this world. One week ago I didnt know how much my life was about to be forever changed and my heart was to be filled with a love that only a mother could understand.

...All in all I had only 5 hours of active labour and pushing. At 8.21pm last week, 8pounds of pure perfection was placed skin to skin on my chest and my world felt complete. It was intense, raw and wild and every bit worth it." 

*It was becoming more apparent to me that Natalie's labour was progressing perfectly, it seemed to be textbook, but she was worried about not being able to cope with pain. As she was breathing so beautifully through each contraction I trusted that the best place to be was at home until her contractions were under 5min apart and lasting 60-90seconds.