While I was hapu my partner and I talked a lot about birth. Both Jerome and I were born at home, so we felt it was only natural to choose to birth at home.

As my due date approached my partner set up the birth pool for us. Baby was over his due date so we tried some natural remedies to bring on labour. Then I decided to relax and let him come when he was ready which ended up being a perfect time anyway.

We had a couple of nights of Braxton Hicks and the excitement was building. At 3am on the 28th of December 2019, my contractions started and they were only minutes apart. The hours of labour that I spent alone with my partner would be one of the purest moments of intimacy I?ve ever experienced.

At 5am my parents arrived home to help support me during labour. As I was labouring my dad was in the other room carving a hue to be used for p?pis whenua.

Imagining each contraction as waves getting bigger and bigger, the deeper I got breathing through each contraction. Welcoming the surges with an open heart and strong focus knowing p?pi would soon be entering the world.

When my siblings arrived they were my support people and helped my dad play the soothing sounds of his Taonga Puoro.

I heard a silent pop and my waters broke and my body started to push baby itself. My body knew what to do and I just had to let nature take its course and have trust in my body. I jumped in the birth pool and it was an instant relief. The heat of the pool was the best pain relief.

As pepi's head was coming out, my m?m? started to Karanga our new taonga into this world and as the body came out my partner got to be the first to place hands on his pepi and slowly lifted him up and out of the water. Baby was given to me for some skin-to-skin and then papa for some skin-to-skin while the room oozed with love and maungarongo.

During the skin-to-skin, both my younger siblings went outside to play the pukaea to let the ancestors and world know our pounamu has arrived. My dad started a karakia while we cut pepi's pito with my partners pounamu and obsidian and has muka from the coast and the Hokianga where we both whakapapa back to.

As I lay in my own bed cuddled up next to my partner holding our pepi I was amazed. Amazed at how strong all the women before me were. I felt so blessed to be able to experience such powerful forces. I was beyond proud of my body for doing it all naturally and extremely grateful to my support people and my partner.

Our beautiful pepi is now growing strong and is the most active, happy boy who loves lots of cuddles.

This is our baby Mahu?io Te Waimarino Tui Isaako Horo-Nonoa and his birth story.