Empowering Water Birth {2 Hour Labor, 9 lbs 11 oz}

For months prior to the birth I had been spending time with friends talking all about birth and praying about our own and how we desired it to be.

My birth with Savanna was very sudden due to my placenta detaching from the uterus wall and I had to be connected to a drip and monitored during the whole thing. This resulted in having to give birth on a bed in a very restrictive and painful manner. I had planned to have a water birth but things didn’t turn out that way.

With Malakai I was praying that I would be able to have a more natural water birth as I had wanted the first time.

As I had Savanna early at 37 weeks, I thought that I would have Malakai around the 38/39 week mark and never considered going overdue. Well he had ideas of his own and at 40 weeks & 8 days over I was still pregnant and very miserable and uncomfortable! My midwife was planning on inducing me on day 10 if nothing had happened. I really wanted to avoid that if possible.

I saw my midwife on Monday 3rd September in the afternoon and she said I was 4cm dilated and she thought things may progress further pretty soon. She said that due to how fast Savanna was born that once contractions kick in this time that I shouldn’t leave it long before heading to the hospital.

That night I went to bed late feeling nothing at all and expected to wake up pregnant again as had been the way the last few days when i thought the labor was starting to get more active. At 12.30pm that night however, I woke up suddenly with some contractions that felt a bit painful. After ten minutes I woke Ori and told him this might be it and he just shrugged it off and went back to sleep.

The contractions started getting more intense so I walked around the house getting excited that it might actually be happening. Ori got up after I told him a few more times that the contractions were pretty painful and only 30 seconds apart. We called the midwife and then my sister to come and look after Savanna and we headed off to the hospital just after 1am.

By this stage my contractions were incredibly painful and close together, before we left home I was on the ground breathing through them and I knew we had to go quickly or I would be having my bubba on the floor at home.

We got to the hospital at 1.15am. I raced inside through a packed emergency room while I was having crazy contractions and I must of looked so funny and on a serious mission to get somewhere. I felt like I was very close to pushing bubba out so I knew I had to get to the Birth Centre fast!

Once in the birth suite I paced around the room and Ori helped me breathe through each contraction which I found so helpful. The bath was being run and it filled up just in the nick of time.

I got into the water around 1.30am as I knew he was close to coming and I couldn’t get comfortable elsewhere in the room. The warm water was incredible and provided instant relief from the wave of contractions.

I kept telling myself that each contraction was bringing him a little closer and that the pain would soon be replaced with the joy of holding him. Just after 2am he decided to make an appearance. My contractions slowed down and I was desperate for the next one to start as I could feel that he was so close.

His head emerged in the water and then after another break in contractions for about 30 seconds the next one was strong enough that his beautiful body came free and Ori lifted him out of the water. He was placed in my arms and began crying after a short delay. It was such an incredible moment holding him knowing that after all this time he was finally here in my arms and he was totally healthy and our very own little boy!

Much to our surprise, Malakai weighed in at a whopping 9 pounds 11oz. Bubs and I were doing very well and had no complications so we were able to go home after 4 hours.

In total the birth lasted only 1 hour, 45 minutes from when contractions kicked in until I was holding him in my arms. I have felt amazing this week and the recovery has been so much faster than last time.

I was so much more fearful of giving birth with Savanna but by trusting God totally this time and the ability that he has given us to have a child in a natural and empowering way I ended up having such an incredible birth and am so very blessed and thankful.