Being a first time mum, I was conditioned to think that all babies were born in a hospital, that labour was long & exceptionally painful, and then I met Anna!

We’d signed up to Anna’s Hypnobirthing, alongside our local NCT classes, as friends who had recently given birth advised us to give it a go. We honestly went into it completely blind, but very much with an open mind. 

When we found out we were expecting, and as hospitals are the place to give birth, or so we thought, we chose St Thomas’s I’d read all hospital reviews, researched & initially felt confident in our selection. Throughout my pregnancy, that confidence began to diminish, I didn’t feel that the care, advice or support was as I would have hoped or expected, my appointments were always rushed, the advice offered was conflicting and as my pregnancy progressed I felt more & more like a number in a system. 

Then at my 36 week growth scan an error in their system resulted in me having to spend 8hrs in hospital waiting around in various corridors and waiting rooms.

Empowered through all we’d learnt from Anna, I decided to contact our local homebirth team, the very next day my wonderful midwife Irene was in our home, she spent two hours with us, taking the time to get to know us, our wishes and to answer all our questions. This really eradicated any concerns we may have had, we felt heard, and assured we were making the right choice.

Since then Irene came to our home weekly to check me & the baby, she invited me to attended her park meet up with new mums who have used the homebirth team which gave me the opportunity to connect & hear their experiences. So when the time came & I started to feel my first signs of labour I felt ready, prepared & excited to bring my baby earthside. 

I woke around 7am, to what felt like period pains, i got on with my morning, and at around 10:30am I made some breakfast & felt most comfortable on my birthing ball using figure of 8 motions to work with my cervix. As the morning progressed my surges got more frequent and intense, I was due a midwife appointment anyway today, so I waited for Irene to arrive, by the time she got to me, my husband had finished work & immediately set about putting my birthing plan into action.

He created the oxytocin environment we had discussed, inflating the pool, closed our curtains, set up my candles and essential oils, put up my affirmations, flash cards, and played Annas meditation tracks, we’d become accustomed too these having listened to them  most evenings in bed. I used the breathing techniques we had been taught, whilst  constantly pacing and moving through each surge.

Luis started to record the timings keeping track until Irene arrived. She asked if it was O.K if she could check how far dilated I was, I agreed and was disappointed to be told I was only 2cm. I asked how long it would take to be fully dilated, Irene told me that everybody is different but on average 2cm very 4 hours, at this point I felt like I couldn’t continue, that the pain would overcome me & that I couldn’t do it. With the help of my husband I pushed these thoughts aside, he reminded me of my birth plan, and the affirmations we had written, focusing me on all that we had learnt and encouraging me that we can do this, with every surge we are closer to meeting our little girl. Irene told us she would be back in a couple of hours but that she would keep in contact.

Luis played my playlist and we set up my tens machine, I continued to use my combs as the the surges became more intense and closer together, I felt this urge to crouch so I bent over the toilet with luis massaging my back & cradling my stomach with each & every wave. We breathed together in for 4 out for more. Eventually my waters broke which felt like a huge release of pressure. Luis notified Irene, and I then transitioned into active labour. I had a pile of towels in my bathroom which I placed on the floor I knelt on them & clung to my sink as I worked with gravity to work my baby into the world. I stayed in this position for 2 hours with each surge bringing me closer to by baby.

Irene arrived, and came into my candle lit bathroom, she asked me to move with her onto my bed whereby she could examine me, she held me as I worked my way from the bathroom onto the bed each surge stopping me in my tracks. I laid on the bed & to my shock & surprise Irene told us your baby is ready, you’ve done all the hard work your baby wants to meet you.!!

This gave me the strength to push through the next 30 minutes, with Luis by my side we watched in amazement as our baby’s head crowned. Irene asked if she could assist me with birthing her head so I wouldn’t tear, I agreed and she held her hand in place,  her head appeared and then with a final push her warm perfect wet body was placed onto me. I held her skin to skin in awe of her as my placenta gave her the last of its goodness and naturally came away. Sofia was born at 17:37, after a 5.5 hour labour, I didn’t get my birth pool experience, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. 

Irene then checked me over, said I had some minor grazing from passing her head so passing urine would initially sting, but no stitches required,  Luis cut the cord & held her skin to skin & Irene took some wonderful photographs of us as a new family. 

Whilst the other midwife started clearing everything away, I took a shower, & when I came out it was like nothing had happened. Irene then settled us all on the sofa, she helped me & Sofia with latching on and feeding. She stayed with us till around 8:30pm, by this time Sofia had done her first poo & so Irene showed us how to change her, put her in her first clothes and we swaddled her to sleep. We celebrated with Sushi, something I’d craved my entire pregnancy, a perfect end to a perfect day.