The energy in the room changes. Your mind shifts. You feel a strength within you, that you never thought you had. There are moments when you feel like giving up. There are moments you do not want to continue. I remember asking the midwives (telling the midwives) that I wanted to go home, I had, had enough!

But in that moment, you know you will meet your baby soon, you are reminded of that.
You are reminded by the contractions.
You are reminded by the pain.
You are reminded by the sheer emotion you are feeling.

This image depicts my second birth. Within the middle of the image represents the my partner, and the midwives who supported me during my labour with my daughter. My second birth was a healing moment. I managed to birth without intervention, I intuitively rode each contraction as if it were a wave. I lost my inhibition and succumbed to what was happening. I trusted my body. I allowed it to move how it needed to. I was in control.

For the first time, I was in control. I felt supported by my Ancestorial matriarch. I thought of their strength and imagined I was swimming towards my baby.