labouring{walk}
Labour is a STATE. A whole new space. A physical decision on our body’s part to open. As marked in feeling and experience as if we have entered a whole new room. For me it was an intense down-ward feeling like everything is moving down… I also felt that pressure of the need to go to the bathroom, like when your constipated or need to go. With the built up of deeper and fuller pressures I just knew then my little babaru is coming, so I continued with my gentle active birth yoga moves {which i practised for weeks} and listened to my inner body voice.
My eyes were closed as i preferred to be in a private space within my surroundings, embraced the chance to immerse with myself and let go. There were times when I will slightly open one eye to see where I was, one minute i was there, conscious and present, the next with the sound of my soothing pregnancy music, I will be swaying my body side to side, holding and rubbing my belly, like as if i was doing a spiritual dance…I will move from one side of the room to the other every few minutes taking a sip of water and then the next some lucozade {as we do need that shot of energy to help us through this marathon with those sharp contractions}. As i focussed on my inner attention I knew my little babaru was moving down making his own way out through the birth canal.
It was so blissful as I was not conscious of my surroundings, I knew the nurse was coming every 15mins to check the heart rate, thats when i knew slowly how long I was going for each time when she came over gently.
Like my doula once said, we need to keep in mind that labour is not about a magical millimetre, it is a point when we know within our body when to naturally zone out and focus our attention inward. We will know when things down there is progressing and will feel the intense acceleration. I still can feel to this day the pressure of our little babaru head at the cervix {pushing through like sharp sensation} like it’s going through the neck of a polo neck jumper {even though it’s the birth canal}
My first birth felt like the above, my second felt there was so much room inside of me that little babaru was doing all sorts of manoeuvring {had his own agenda when to visit us} if we keep our body open and free, we will feel the every ounce of that sensation and bliss as they start journeying down our lower back and bottom.
When i knew that it was getting too much, I could no longer stand, i was on my fours on the floor, needed that full body weight support to breath and surrender the shifting sensations inside of me with those sharp contractions…
Active labour is when we are in deep, slow breathing with a deep slow sighing or moaning {ahhhhhing} now i felt it is almost to the end of my marathon, all the build up is here for the final few pushes!!!! with natural rhythm and relief i trusted my body to do what it knows best, with confidence I knew what was about to happen, and it was a great feeling…and {hard work}.
During the whole entire stage I only had my husband and my doula holding my hands to the final stages when I was in active labour ready to push. Before then, I did not want to be touched or spoken too, i needed to zone out in privacy and calm, allowing me to listen to my inner voice {our very own hyno-birthing affirmations to ourself} and body!
I always to still this day believe our bundle of joys will come when it’s meant to be.
Well done to us mama{s} now and through many years of generations, our human body is designed to go through birth, we must trust ourselves and believe we can do this! After all, regardless how bliss or traumatic we will do it all over again as the reward is far more joyful!