home birth experience

We set out from the start wanting a home birth. I had a very unpleasant experience with my first child with poor ante-natal and actively managed hospital care. I felt very strongly that for this birth I wanted to take responsibility for myself and my birth in my own way.

We were not dead against going to hospital for the birth, there are situations where this is unavoidable or the risks clearly too high, but we wanted to make that informed decision if and when the need arose.

My waters went on the Wednesday night before labour had "established". During the night contractions began again with more force.

Come the morning contractions seemed to be settling into a pattern albeit a little irregular with some slow paced followed by a flurry of some very close together. I called Sue and she and Michelle headed over to check on us. Sue arrived carrying a loaf of fresh bread and her familiar wicker basket of bits. It was reassuring to see her and to know she would support us rather than tell us what to do. I was getting pain relief from my TENS machine and my partner was helping me through the contractions one by one. However, when anyone else other then my partner entered the room it slowed down my contractions. Sue and Michelle recognised this and made sure we had the space to get on with things. This was a shrewd decision on their part and one that was very important to us and certainly the progress of the labour. This small but crucial detail, meant that labour was able to be encouraged naturally rather than a possible need to be augmented with drugs and other interventions. Sue and Michelle sat in the kitchen leaving us plenty of space to labour away as we danced and swayed to our favourite music tackling the pain of each contraction one at a time. Sue and Michelle kept a careful eye on us without crowding us. Every now and again Sue would pop into the room we were in and check to make sure everything was ok and monitor the baby's heartbeat. She would give us reassurance if we needed it and space if we needed it. She was very sensitive to our needs. It all unfolded very naturally.

Labour continued on into the afternoon. All the time Sue and Michelle kept a watchful eye over us while at the same time leaving us to get on with it without feeling pressured. We drank, ate, slept as we needed keeping the mood changing by moving around and playing different music. It was a very relaxed environment and we were able to focus on labour in our own way. We were upstairs when we turned the corner from dilation to getting ready to push. I was in a lot of pain relying only on my TENS machine and was nearly ready to give up when I wanted to start pushing. The contractions had been going on for what felt like forever and it didn't sink in that the baby was actually getting ready to begin it's descent. My partner called Sue and Michelle and they headed upstairs to join us. We all settled into the room we'd prepared as the baby's bedroom and put on some relaxing music. The TENS machine was no longer providing any comfort so I abandoned it and carried on without pain relief. We had a birth stool and a birth ball and I varied my positions from standing to sitting down to my holding me. It was a very calm but focused atmosphere and I would just push whenever I felt the urge, regaining my composure between contractions. Sue would check the foetal pulse with each pushing contraction while Michelle noted everything down. Just as had happened throughout labour Sue let things gently take their course and supported us quietly through it. The baby's signs never faltered and the heartbeat remained strong. We felt strong and confident. The head crowned and we saw the first glimpse of our baby through the mirror. It wasn't going to be long now. The last few contractions were extremely intense and I was standing against the wall with my partner helping to hold me up. With the last contraction our baby was born into Sue's waiting hands, a beautiful baby girl. She was born a lovely colour and needed no resuscitation. I was able to hold her immediately skin-to-skin. Sue had informed us this was the first baby she'd caught since completing her training and becoming an independent midwife – we would never have known, she was so cool, calm and reassuring throughout. After a little while we asked for the cord to be cut. We were absolutely delighted, it was such a magical experience and it was Sue putting her faith in us that gave us the opportunity. It was the most natural thing in the world.

We had a problem after the birth in that the placenta refused to come away despite all our best efforts and we ended up having to go to hospital to get it removed. Sue and Michelle stayed with us all the way. Sue liased with the hospital staff. She really was a rock for us.

It doesn't stop there, Sue has been on hand giving us much valuable post-natal support from daily visits to answering her phone in the middle of the night when we've been worried or had a problem.

All we wish is that we'd booked with Sue from the start! The care and support she's given us is priceless. She's not just a midwife she's a friend.

Thank you Sue!!!