At 39.6 weeks, I woke up with contractions. With my first son, my waters broke first, so I knew I was in labour. This time I was unsure. An hour passed, and the pain intensified, so I started timing the contractions. They were close together and painful. At 6am, I messaged my midwife, explaining how I was feeling. I didn't hear from her until 7am. During that time, I was labouring at home just like I previously had. When I spoke to her, she told me to keep doing what I was doing, try a warm shower and heat compress and see how I progress. 

By 9am, I was crying with each contraction. When I finally got into the shower, I spent 20 minutes there with contractions still coming in hot and heavy! When I got out of the shower, I could already feel the pressure behind. I knew we were cutting it close. 

During my entire pregnancy, I had a fear that I wouldn't make it to the hospital in time to deliver my baby, and I almost didn't! I rang my midwife, and we decided to meet at the hospital. I got dressed, and my husband and I left straight away. I screamed and cried the entire 20 minutes there. We arrived at the hospital at around 10:40. I got wheeled in and was taken straight into my birthing suite, my midwife still hadn't arrived yet, but I thought I had a lot more time as my first son's labour was over 35 hours long! I had a few painful contractions, but that was still manageable. Before I knew it, the contractions, pressure and urge to push were intense. I was kneeling by the edge of the bed, not knowing what to do when those contractions hit. It's a pain like no other. I knew he was coming, and it was time, my waters finally broke, and I took off my underwear. 

My midwife informed me that she could already see his head. With a few pushes and mostly little puffs, my second baby boy was born in not even 5 minutes from the time I started pushing. Still on my knees, my midwife caught him as he came out, handing him straight to me, where I grabbed him and pulled him straight onto my chest. 

He was born at 11:13. Not even half an hour after we got to the birthing suite. It was such an incredible and special moment. The labour was incredibly difficult, but it was so empowering. I didn't have an epidural and was able to move freely and give birth on my knees without being hooked up to any monitors. There weren't any interventions, and I didn't tear. I felt incredible. My body and my baby did it.