Sam’s Birth Story

My first birth was at the Horton MLU. It was incredible but there were moments that have stuck with me where I didn’t feel great. Moments where I wasn’t taken as seriously as I’d liked. These feelings are engraved in my memory of my first birth and while I always say it was incredible, there is this pull on my heart that reminds me of some of the less great elements. 

This feeling, after many weeks of deliberation, made me take the decision. A decision which I shared with my husband, whose face froze as anxiety filled his veins and the worst outcome presented itself before his very eyes, that we, my love, will be having our baby at home. 

With that, we rented the birth pool from Amy. Who has been in my corner since the beginning of both my pregnancies. 

So, the nitty gritty. Well, I’d been having braxton hicks contractions since week 36. So come labour day, I’d successfully gaslit myself into believing that it wasn’t labour. Even though I’d spent the day in a vile mood, snapping at my husband, avoiding my daughter and sitting alone, like a moody loser. We went to bed at 9pm where my husband asked, ‘are you sure you’re not contracting? You’ve done this before’. My response, ‘well I don’t f**g know’. 

I carried that stubbornness to midnight, refusing to lose a moment of sleep, where my groaning woke my husband up and told me its labour and began setting up the birth pool and space. He then informed me he was taking our daughter to his mums. 

On his return he timed a contraction… 1min 30 a part.. “shit!”. He called the hospital and got to work setting up the birth pool and space.  We then ran out of water. Lol. 

So while I was busy moo’ing like a cow on all fours in the living room, fighting for my life to put incontinence sheets on the floor, he was in the kitchen… playing it cool, with no water, also fighting for his life. Perhaps I shouldnt have been so stubborn at 9pm. 

The midwives arrived within 45 mins, gave me gas and air straight away. Didn’t turn the lights on, didn’t force me to assess me. Came in and were a comfort from the get go. One rescued me, the other rescued my husband with helping fill the birth pool. 

When the pool was ready, I got in and it was the calmest, comfiest, loveliest and safest environment I could have imagined. My home! 

From there it was channelling that inner strength to stay calm and breathe the baby out.

At 3:25am, after calling the midwife at 12:30 AM, our son was born. It was truly magical. I was tended to afterwards in my living room with a packet of sweets and by 5:30am, the midwives left after tidying everything up. 

I have nothing bad to say. Not one bad moment, or interaction. No policies, no requirements. Just me, my husband, two incredible midwives doing birth as birth should be done (medically allowing) at home. It was beautiful. 

If you are on the fence, take the step to home birth. Believe in yourself. Just be warned, it might be quick! 

Amy, thank you. Without your course and your mission, both my stories wouldn’t be as amazing as they were. But the best really is the home birth. Something I absolutely would never have even considered without you.