When I was in the last few weeks of pregnancy I loved reading blogs and chatting to people about their labour experience.

Each experience is so unique and I was terrified leading up to my D day. Knowing that at any moment you are going to experience one of the most painful things that can happen to a human is a fricken scary thought.

I wanted to try and have a natural birth but was determined to get the epidual.  I went into labour at 3am and remember thinking ‘I think this is it…I thought it would hurt more’…

I woke up and said to my husband Lloyd ‘I think I’m going into labour but don’t rush I’m going to monitor it.’  He said okay and got up to have a shower just in case. As he stepped in the shower my waters broke all over the bathroom floor. Ah yep this is it. I immediately started having intense contractions about 5 minutes apart.

We jumped in the car;  I was in my dressing gown and remember thinking, shit I look like a dirty homeless woman and this is the face my kid is going to first see when he pops into the world. We got to the hospital and the midwife greeted us and asked if we had called ahead as most first labours take over 14hours so they want to make sure you are closer to the end before you come into hospital.  I looked at her with major evils and said this kid is coming now get me into a bed.

By the time I’d got into the birthing suite I was 6cm dilated and contractions were 4min apart. I remember thinking this is not what is supposed to happen….all the baby books said it would take hours to get to this stage and my body would slowly ease into contractions.

They were coming thick and fast and it was excruciating.  I looked at the midwife and was dead serious when I asked if I would be done in the next 2 pushes because otherwise I’m going home this was all too hard and intense. The midwife and my hubby laughed.

1.5hours later and after multiple demands for the epidural I had no time for any pain relief. … this kid was coming. Thanks to my husbands genes my beautiful babies head was quite large so the doc had to cut me to get him out.  Carter finally came into the world bloody and alert at6:15am.  He was placed on my chest and just quietly stared up at us.

It was mind blowing.

Meanwhile….something that they don’t show in the movies…I still had to deliver the placenta which is about the size of the baby. This needs to happen immediately after birth or you lose blood. My placenta was playing hard ball and the doc turned to me and said if this doesn’t come out soon we have to put you in theater and deliver it in surgery.  My body must have heard that and went straight into more contractions which were just as painful as delivering Carter.  A few minute later the placenta is born.

 I lost about a litre of blood and that became noticeable after fainting 4 times while the nurses tried to take me from the birthing suite to my room. But no matter how ridiculously painful and terrifying that experience was it was all worth it to have this little critter to love and smooch everyday.

A love like no other xx.

To read more of Maddi’s blog follow the link here