The night prior to giving birth I started to have niggly cramps and I mentioned that I thought they were braxton hicks because they weren’t painful by any means, just uncomfortable. My partner said to time them but I thought, “No that’s ridiculous I know what labour pains are and these aren’t it.”
I woke up the next morning at 6:30am in labour. My contractions were 5 minutes apart. I quietly snuck into the shower careful not to wake my 1 year old while my partner made me a coffee. I called my mum and said, “just a heads up I think I’m going into labour but stay put it might last all day”!
By 7am I called my mum back and said “Get over here now”!
My contractions were 3 minutes apart and boy were they strong! I couldn't talk to anyone while they were happening. I couldn’t talk when my daughter woke up, all I could do was smile and rock back and forth. I did not move from my dining chair all morning. My mum, dad, partner and my daughter were all organising things around me and I clouded it all out, focusing on my breathing and my rocking.
My daughter went with my mum and dad back to their house. I chose to not have my daughter in the room as she is very attached to me and I didn’t want her to be there if anything went wrong. By this time my contractions were 1 minute apart but I did not want to go to the hospital I thought my labour still had hours!
My water broke in my dining room and I remember saying, “My water broke” and my partner (bless him) said “Are you sure?” so I stood up and lo and behold ... water!
My partner was saying, “We should really go, come on let's go!” trying to get me in the car. As stubborn as I was, I thought “I’m just going to poop before I go so I don’t poop in birth again” (priorities) and when I got to the toilet I couldn’t stop pushing! My partner was in front of me saying “Stop pushing, slow down and breath. Remember they said don’t push straight away!” But I knew in my body this was different. So it took all of my will power to get into that car. I felt like I had 100kg weight dragging behind me. My whole body was feeling these contractions. My legs, my back, my neck. Every inch of my body was on fire.
I got in the car at 9am and couldn’t stop my body pushing as hard as I tried I just couldn’t. Then I felt this immense pressure in my pelvis, I had to lift my bum slightly off the seat to get some relief and I thought to myself, “He is there. My son is there in my pelvis.” Then after another push I knew. He was crowing.
Before I knew it were were at the hospital, I jumped out of the car and in the middle of the car park I shoved my hand down my pants and gave myself and exam and his head was poking out already. I looked at my partner with horror and just said, “His head is there, his head is out” and we were running! I was clutching the top of my sons head in my hands between my legs waddling so fast the inside of the hospital. A beautiful man offered to find us a wheelchair but I was not waiting. I was waddling to the birth unit as quick as I could.
Thankfully when we got there a nurse was walking through the doors so she held them for us. I waddled up to the desk so calmly and the midwife said, “Hi love, what’s your name?” And ever so calmly I replied “Hi, my name is Karly and I can feel a head”. I just remember her looking at her colleague with confusion like “How is she so calm? Surely she just thinks she can feel a head”.
The midwife hesitated and said, “Just down to room 8 for me”, so again ever so calmly, I waddled down to room 8 and leant onto the bed so I was bending over slightly. The midwife said, Okay we are just going to check you if that’s okay” and gently pulled my pants off and the shock in her voice ! “Oh ah yes that’s a head!” THANKS!
Then she said, “Ever so gently, just a few little pushes” and that was all it took. My partner didn’t have enough time to do anything except whip his phone out and record it 😂 I am so thankful for that. My son was entering this earth as quick as he possibly could. 9:26am we gave birth to a beautiful, healthy baby boy and the first words out of my mouth (and we have video proof) was “F**k that was quick!”
He was passed up to me between my legs and layed him on the bed in front of me and he smelt beautiful! As gross and as fresh out of the womb as he was, he smelt beautiful! I just stood there rubbing his cheeks and smelling his ears and cheeks.
He was different to my daughter. Completely covered in vernix! Perfect little head, he didn’t have time to be squished. My partner got to cut the cord again.
Ashton Levi Markwick. My sister actually a few weeks before birth, suggested Ashton and we thought it went beautifully with our daughters name (Peyton). Levi was next in line so it was a suitable middle name.
I hopped up on the bed and received my needle again to push the placenta out. This one took a little longer than my last and boy did I feel this one! The cramping was terrible! After birth pains they said, they lasted months and they were worse than labour !
Breastfeeding was slightly harder than my daughter he just latched and went to sleep. Stopped suckling just laid there and napped until the cows came home. 2 hours we laid there in a beautiful, blissful bubble whilst my family came and visited and my daughter!
That’s a moment I’ll never forget. My daughter seeing my son, her brother! Latched onto me. She just gently stroked his cheek and stared at him. Then snuggled into me as if to say, “You’re still my mummy” and I cuddled her right back to reassure her I’ll always be her mummy.
I will always remember my mum saying, “You’re made to have children” and she’s right! Women are made to do this so I had faith in my body and that I could do this.
Thankfully I had no tearing this time and I had no time for any intervention or drugs. My birth this time certainly DID NOT go to plan however that wasn’t a horrible thing. I still had a brilliant birth. My pain level never reached a 10 and I got it done LIKE A BOSS! So proud of myself!
Written by Karly Price
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