Our labour started very early on the Saturday night with more intense Braxton hicks contractions and period pain. I should have taken more advantage of Panadol at the time to ensure I had good sleep but safe to say I didn’t really sleep that night. I woke up Sunday morning feeling on and off Braxton hicks but we continued with our normal routine. We decided to go out for breakfast as I felt like this might be ‘our final meal’ . While at breakfast I experienced my first contraction my goodness was that different to Braxton hicks! They were still 1:20 but already lasting a minute. My water ended up breaking about an hour and a half later!

I woke up on Friday morning feeling a bit crampy and sent Ky off to work. I’d been having contractions most mornings, so I didn’t think too much of it at first. But by 9:30 a.m., they’d settled into a loose rhythm, and I texted Ky to come home.

My birth taught me that your mind and your instincts are far more powerful than any pain. And anything is possible with the right support and nurturing.

Her birth was dramatic and intense, but I wouldn’t describe it as traumatic.

I wanted to give birth with calmness and connection and that’s how she came into the world.