As the monitors were taken off, I was filled with nerves and excitement. I was so worried about the pain of the contractions coming back in full force.
As the drugs started to wear off I noticed that the contractions felt different, they were still a bit sore but it was like my body was pushing on its own.
This was it.
I told my midwife that I felt like I was needing to push and she suggested I go and hop in the shower. – I don’t think she quite believed me!
I went into the shower, which was in its own little bathroom adjoined to the birthing room, while Dom, mum and the midwife stayed in the birthing room.
Mum thought it was going to be a while so headed off to grab a coffee.
Standing in the shower alone was a weird feeling. In one way I was completely petrified of what was happening (now it really was out of my control) but I also wanted privacy, as I knew I was not looking my best!
The midwife said as the contractions came I could push if I wanted too (ohh yes I wanted to!)
She explained how I needed to push. “Push like you are doing a big poo!”
My reply was “but I’ll poo on the floor”
She laughed and said that it was good, and that if I did that she would know I was pushing right.
She also explained that I would get to a point of pushing that would suddenly feel like a ‘ring of fire’
She left me in peace and with the next contraction I gave a big push….I also grunted/moaned.
For someone who had been mostly silent for the whole labor this took me by surprise but it also felt really good and felt like it was helping me push.
I decided this was it and I was going to get this baby out quickly so with the next contraction I pushed and grunted/moaned again and kept on pushing.
Mum was on her way back from getting coffee, walking down the hall she heard a very noisy lady grunting and moaning…the closer she got to my room she realized it was me. Shame!
As I kept on baring down and pushing out my bum (It really felt like that’s where he would come out!) the inevitable happed. Poop.
A little nugget dropped to the floor.
I was mortified.
Before I could stop myself I yelled out “I pooped on the floor, I pooped on the floor” “help, there’s a nugget on the floor”
The midwife came in laughing and asked if I wanted her to clean it up.
“Yes! I’m so sorry!”
She scooped the little nugget up and got rid of it the left me to it again.
She later revealed that she thought I was going to take a lot longer to get the baby out.
A few minutes after she left…I felt THE burn.
Holy shit someone was giving my vagina a Chinese burn. Like, the most intense burn ever.
I was no longer pushing this baby out my butt. He was there with his giant head coming out my vag.
Naturally I screamed out loud “ring of fire!, ring of fire!”
That was enough to get the midwife running to the room followed closely by Dom and Mum.
The hospital midwife brought in a mirror so our midwife could have a look at what was happening. I was offered the chance to look too, but politely declined and firmly shut my eyes for the rest of the birth!
She asked if I wanted to feel for him, which I did. I could feel his little head full of hair.
That was enough for me.
It was business time.
This baby was coming out!
I pushed as hard as I could. His head came out.
Oh the burn.
The midwife asked me to slow down and stop pushing as she didn’t want to drop him….and mum came running over hands out ready to catch the baby!
With the midwifes approval I gave one big push and out he came. Such a feeling of relief.
I quickly spun around and sat down on the seat and this gooey, green (he had pooped inside of me and was covered), little tiny baby was handed to me.
He didn’t cry or squeal and I noticed he wasn’t breathing.
I quickly started patting his back saying “breathe baby breathe. Breathe baby breathe.”
He flung his arms up and let out a little cry as he took his first breath.
A wave of relief rushed over me.
All of the blood and gore got a bit much for Dom and he slowly started to back out of the room feeling queasy. The midwife asked him for the time and he fumbled a bit, feeling flustered as he counted the minutes.
11:57pm.
On the 8th September 2017 at 11:57pm Parker Lachlan Cameron was born.