It was October 21 – my due date – and there was no sign that my baby wanted to come into the world.

Two days passed and I was sitting at the dining room table eating my lunch when I felt something unusual in my stomach. I knew that it wasn't the baby kicking. I thought to myself it might have been Braxton Hicks, so it didn't bother me.

In the next half an hour I kept feeling these "Braxton Hicks." They were pretty strong – I thought it was a little strange. I rang my sister to tell her what was going on. She told me to relax, because she knew they were real contractions. She said she would come over and keep me company.

When she arrived I was in the middle of a contraction. I was always going to have a home water birth. I had all the supplies I needed. I took classes on home birthing and how to check the cervix.

I decided to hop into the tub to relax. I had the TV off, no lights (just candles) and the only sound was my sister's voice. I was in the tub for around an hour and had about 10 contractions that were eight minutes apart and lasting for two minutes. I checked my cervix and I was only 1 centimeter dilated.

My sister suggested we go for a walk, and I agreed. We walked for half an hour. I would have loved to have walked for longer, but the contractions were getting stronger.

It was 4 p.m. on the 23rd when I checked my cervix again. It was dilated to 3 centimeters.

I rolled on the birthing ball for 20 contractions (20 contractions in an hour). My body was telling me that I needed to go into the tub. As soon as I stood up from the birthing ball, I had a really strong contraction. It lasted about three minutes.

When I got into the tub I felt great. After being in the tub for two hours, I got out and had to use the toilet. I went and my water broke. I moved into my bedroom and leaned against my bed. My sister was rubbing my back. This happened for about an hour.

At 8 p.m. I checked my cervix. I was 6 centimeters. I didn't know what to do. My sister told me to get on my bed and lie on my side. Wow, the contractions were really strong now. I didn't have time in between my contractions to do anything. I was moaning and grunting during contractions. I told my sister I needed to go back into the tub, but there was no time between contractions. I told her to help me get out of bed and into the tub. She pulled me out of bed and it took 10 minutes to get from the bedroom to the lounge room.

I finally got into the tub and I checked my cervix again. I was 9 centimeters – only 1 centimeter to go.

I was so relaxed in the tub. An hour had passed and I felt the urge to push. With each contraction I pushed with all my might. I could feel the baby moving down the birth canal. I pushed for about three hours and nothing happened. I told my sister I wasn't going to push anymore; I just breathed and moaned through the contractions.

After two hours of this, I needed to push. I pushed for 10 seconds each contraction really hard. I felt the baby coming down the birth canal even more. I asked my sister to check if she could see the head; she could. I pushed and I pushed for another hour. The head was finally out. I was on my hands and knees in the tub. I pushed and the shoulders came out. Then the rest of the baby slid out.

Luica Rose was born at 5:07 a.m., October 24.