Emma’s Water Birth at Home

Emma and her husband Hubert, came to me to me to do a private hypnobirthing course to help them prepare for the birth of their second baby. Emma knew she did not want her birth to go the same way her first one did, so we did lots of work around mindset, and also on making informed decisions and the system and how to navigate it for their birth. Their plan for the birth of their second baby was to have a calm, home birth using the Wakefield Home Birth team, and surrounded by people they love. This is Emma’s birth story.

“The week leading up to Maia arriving I had been having prodromal labour (sometimes know as pre-labour) contractions every evening between 5pm-2am.

I woke up on the Friday and felt very tired so my husband took our 3 year old out for the day so I could rest! I slept and ate most of the morning and we walked round a garden centre in the afternoon. I remember feeling that the baby was very low and it had become quite painful to walk!

We had dinner and I put my daughter to bed and the contractions started again, I thought ‘not this again’!

I ignored them and snuggled my daughter to sleep. By about 9pm the contractions were a bit stronger so my husband got me a hot water bottle for my back and some water.

He said he was going to set up downstairs ‘ just in case’ but I kept telling him I didn’t think I was in labour. 10pm came and the contractions were about 10 minutes apart but I was still in denial!

I put the tens machine on and I was chatting away to my auntie on the phone and said she was going to drive over ‘just in case’ we needed her for Ola, our daughter.

At this point I called the home birth midwife’s to let them know it might be happening so they said they’d pop out to check on me in about an hour.

I went downstairs and started popping my pictures up and then sat on my ball for a bit. My husband kept chatting to me and giving me water and it was all very relaxing!

Just after 11pm I said to my husband that I was embarrassed everyone was going to arrive and I didn’t think the baby was coming, then (like they’d heard my doubts!) my waters popped!

I started laughing and said “I guess we are having a baby”.

The midwives and my auntie arrived shortly after. They did their obs and read my birth plan and said they’d leave me to it unless I needed them, which I was really grateful for.

My auntie went to sit upstairs in case Ola woke up and watched what was happening over the baby monitor.

I used my birth comb on my ball as my husband filled up the pool, then at 12:30pm I got into the pool and had my first bit of gas and air.

I was sat in the pool with my star machine on, using the gas and air between contractions and thinking about my breathing.

I thought about how in the morning my little girl would be a big sister and I’d be a mum of two and I was very excited. Me and my husband were chatting and joking throughout and I was surprised that I felt really in control after my first traumatic birth.

At 1am I felt the contractions get much stronger and closer together, I entered transition and started to feel panicked, I said I wanted an epidural and that I couldn’t do it.

My husband was so calm and held my hand telling me I could do it and giving me lots of water. He helped me with my breathing and kept me calm

I said the baby is coming as I felt her move down the birth canal.

Before anyone knew it, her head was out and on the next push her body came out and I caught her in the water.

I brought her up to my chest and I couldn’t believe I’d done it!

We wanted to wait for the placenta to come away naturally without the injection, after a few little complications I managed to deliver the placenta, but unfortunately when it was delivered there was a lot of blood, so at this point I moved to the sofa and got snuggled up in blankets. She fed straight away and once the midwives were happy with everything and had checked over the placenta they left.

My husband, Hubert, was the best partner I could’ve asked for.

We went to bed and then at 6am, my daughter Ola came in to meet her baby sister.

It was one of the best moments of my life!

The whole experience was absolutely magical!!

Thank you Emma for sharing your birth story and showing that birth can be utterly magical and an amazing experience. I am so pleased Emma did a course with me and got a birth she felt happy with.

If you want to do a course with me to help you stack the odds in your favour for a birth experience you feel was right for you, you can see my upcoming group hypnobirthing course dates here or like Emma you can do a private hypnobirthing course.