What is labour really like?

There comes a point during labour when I entered another realm. I was no longer fully connected to my environment, and that suggests to me that I was completely comfortable there. And when I knew my body had withstood every last ounce of pain possible, the dilation was complete and it was time to push. Once again, pushing represented a force that was beyond me. Often I’ve heard women describe being told to push for a count of ‘x’, and then take a breath only to begin again. I can honestly say I never pushed at all. It wasn’t me. Something had taken over my body and the urge to push was so primal, it was beyond my control.

When my daughter’s large head crowned, in that moment, I was as close to a miracle as I will ever be. It is a point where humans become entirely animal and entirely spiritual at the same time. The mother is giving the ultimate gift of life to another human being, and simultaneously being granted the ultimate gift of motherhood. Any witnesses to such an event are in the presence of something more astounding than life itself.

I emerged from the labour and birth a new person… as if giving birth had created not one but two new lives. Trusting my body first and foremost was the most important thing I did during my labour… and that trust was established prior to my water breaking and the onset of labour. For me, taking a drug to diminish my connection with my own body makes no sense at all.

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