In NATURAL BREECH BIRTH, this week’s Dispatches from New Motherhood treat, Olivia Watts gives a lively and inspiring account of her birth experience. In vivid prose the author describes her feelings of connecting with her ancestors and drawing strength from them through labour.
Olivia says, ‘writing this piece has been therapeutic and helped me come to terms with my whole experience of giving birth. From being emotional, to being able to appreciate the beauty of being a mother.’
After taking part in Mothership, Olivia says ‘it brought out a creative side of me that I didn’t even know I had. Now I find myself writing down thoughts of the day or moments. I go back to my scraps of writing and add some more, and it makes me feel good and light.’
Here’s to feeling good and light. And here’s Olivia’s wonderful piece.
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Natural Breech Birth
Olivia Watts
I never thought I would give birth to a baby where the bum would come out before the head. I never thought I would be calling out to my ancestors as I did it.
Little did we know what was going to happen. One minute the midwife and I were chatting about where I get my hair done – Kauna is so good at doing Afro hair, she comes to my house and it only takes her three hours instead of a whole day, and I pay with a bottle of wine – and we're giggling, and then suddenly it’s like woah, it's breech, we have an emergency situation here!
I was suddenly surrounded by a sudden influx of emergency staff. I was lying on my back, and I don’t recall turning onto my knees but I did. Voices around me were in urgent discussion. Then another voice said, it’s coming! It’s a bum, not feet!
My thoughts were of my ancestors, all my mekulus – my grandmothers – the Mkwanyokas and the Mkwanangobes. I needed them now. As I clutched the bed it felt as if it'd grown roots, binding it to the hospital. Everything was connected. I could feel the power in me ready to open my heart to breathe. I roared like a warrior goddess calling out mekulu. I could feel the heat of my energy, my body and mind exploding with it. And then a calmed whisper told me owalonga shiveli, well done, all is well. I heard it in my heart.
From my last roar to the moment my baby entered the world it felt as if I had left my body and touched heaven. At that moment I wasn't sure what to say or think. Should I cry, smile or laugh? I was still in so much pain. Even stretching up my arms to receive my baby hurt. I felt as if a bus had hit me.
I looked out for my husband but I couldn't see him. I called out for him. He was still in shock, scared; when all the people had come rushing in he hadn't known what was happening. When he came in, I told it was all OK: I'd brought new life into the world – with a little bit of help from my mekulus.
The doctor said that it was the first experience of a natural breech birth for all of the staff in the room. Only the matron had ever seen it happen before.
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Natural Breech Birth by Olivia Watts appears in the Mothership Writers anthology Dispatches from New Motherhood. All 50 pieces from the book will be published here over the year to come, creating an online library of what it really means – right here, right now – to be a new mother.