Positive Free Birth At Home

THE BIRTH OF BABY BOY

Hello. Sorry for the late message, up feeding baby so now seemed like a good time to share my birth story. Cosmo was born today at home at 10.50am 39+6. Where do I start, it went exactly how I hoped for. I achieved a completely physiological birth, with no midwife present, I made the decision to have a doula as I was half expecting there to be staff shortages and no home birth service (which happened a few days before I had him) third (and last) baby. I had a totally uncomplicated pregnancy and I was determined to make my dreams of a home birth work. So I set about reading & researching free birthing, and we made the decision to go for it, I felt totally confident in both mine & babies ability to birth exactly how we are designed to do.

I went into labour on Tuesday 5th Oct at 39+6. I woke at 1am as my eldest woke needing a wee, I got up out of bed to help him and my waters broke (they continued to leak throughout my labour) I cleaned myself up and got changed, woke my husband to tell him and decided to get some sleep, but I couldn’t settle and decided I’d rather set up the living room and then settle down until things got going. So me and my husband went downstairs, I’d already hung my fairy lights all round the room several days earlier in preparation, so I stuck up my favourite affirmations around the room, and we blew up and filled the pool. I set the TV to play river dawn, turned on my diffuser with lavender oil and covered the couch and floor with towels and puppy pads. The room look so peaceful and I was really happy with my birthing nest, so much so that I sent my husband (John) back to bed as I wanted to stay in the space.

I turned the TV down and put my positive affirmation tracks on my phone with my headphones in. By now it was about 2.30am and surges were spaced apart about 1 every 10 minutes or so and I was very easily able to relax and dose off between them, I felt very comfortable, calm and relaxed. Around 6.30am I could hear my older children waking up, I wanted to go say ‘good morning’ and tell them what was happening while I could still easily talk between surges.

Around 7amish I got in a bath, my surges started coming a lot more regularly at this point and I enjoyed the soothing warm water, close to 8.30am I got out and headed back down stairs, at this point we called the doula (who arrived very quietly 30 minutes later.) I was very comfortable on my own with my husband in and out to check on our boys, the doula stayed in the kitchen on my request.

Around 10.30am I felt pushy with each surge so got in the birth pool. And at 10.50am with just me, my husband and our boys in the room I gently guided our son into the world. We got out of the pool after just a few minutes as I needed to birth my placenta on dry land as I’m having remedies made. He latched almost immediately and basically hasn’t stop feeding since. Placenta came away easily at about 11am. The doula then did an incredible job of putting the pool away and making us all some lunch.

I then had a quick shower and climbed straight into bed with him. Total bliss. Around 5pm the community midwife came to do the checks etc. He’s feeding really well and I’m feeling good, not too tired and not too sore. I feel incredibly lucky and pretty proud of us both as we achieved my dream birth experience.

Emma and John - York - 2021