I found out I was pregnant the day after Valentine's Day. I am very much a planner, and I knew this journey was going to ask me to surrender control in ways I wasn't entirely comfortable with. So I prepared. I found our hypnobirthing teacher Mollie, our incredible doula Jen, and together with our midwife team, I worked towards the birth I wanted a totally unmedicated home birth.
At 40 plus 1, my waters broke in the early hours of a Saturday morning. Pete and I spent the day walking the dog, watching TV, eating a very spicy curry, and keeping the oxytocin flowing. By Sunday night, still waiting, we went to bed early. At 11:50pm I woke up knowing. I was in labour.
CONTINUE TO THE FULL STORYWent into labour at 39+1 after a lovely pregnancy.
Woke up Saturday morning with a bit of back pain but thought nothing of it as I had been to a wedding the day before so thought I had over done it. Had a bath to try and relax my back muscles. Around 11 I realised I hadn’t felt baby moving all morning so called triage and we were invited in for monitoring. 30mins on the monitor and bubba hadn’t moved but everything else looked good, so the midwives got me to move around a bit and sure enough baby started moving, after another half an hour of monitoring we were all satisfied baby was okay and just having a relaxing morning. While I was on the monitors they picked up some tightenings but nothing more than standard Braxton hicks.
CONTINUE TO THE FULL STORYMy pregnancy with my second baby was a really smooth and straightforward journey, something I’m so grateful for. Everything went well throughout, and we were so excited when we found out we were expecting a baby girl.
During my pregnancy, Brydee was always there whenever I needed her — whether it was to talk through my plans, share my thoughts, or ease my worries. She really helped me stay as calm and relaxed as possible during what could have felt like a daunting time, and I’ll always be so thankful for that support.
CONTINUE TO THE FULL STORYI found out I was pregnant the day after Valentine's Day. I am very much a planner, and I knew this journey was going to ask me to surrender control in ways I wasn't entirely comfortable with. So I prepared. I found our hypnobirthing teacher Mollie, our incredible doula Jen, and together with our midwife team, I worked towards the birth I wanted a totally unmedicated home birth.
At 40 plus 1, my waters broke in the early hours of a Saturday morning. Pete and I spent the day walking the dog, watching TV, eating a very spicy curry, and keeping the oxytocin flowing. By Sunday night, still waiting, we went to bed early. At 11:50pm I woke up knowing. I was in labour.
I ran a bath and let Pete sleep for a little longer, breathing through each surge quietly in the dark. By 2am they were coming thick and fast. What I thought was every ten minutes was actually every three. Pete called Jen, who immediately said she was on her way. He called the midwife team straight after.
By 2:45am Jen and our midwife Penny had both walked through the door at exactly the same time. There was something so reassuring about that moment. Suddenly the room felt full of the right people. Jen took Pete into the kitchen to fill the pool while Penny checked my vitals. Pete, being completely and utterly Pete, had already put on the light projector, the fairy lights, and my playlist. Walking into that kitchen genuinely took my breath away. It was calm, it was beautiful, and it was exactly what I had imagined.
Getting into the pool was extraordinary. The water took every bit of pressure off my back and I felt myself sink into it completely. No pain relief. No gas and air. Just my breath, the warm water, and Pete’s voice beside me steady, calm, and constant. Every time I felt myself losing hold he brought me back. In for four, out for more. Over and over. I always thought hypnobirthing was something I was doing for myself. Watching Pete that night, I realised it had prepared him just as much as it had prepared me.
For five hours I worked through each surge in that pool, going completely into myself. I barely spoke. I just breathed and trusted my body to do what it knew how to do. And then, after five hours, came the most overwhelming, primal, unstoppable feeling the urge to push. It just took over. I didn’t decide to push. My body simply did it.
After two hours of pushing, Penny noticed the baby’s heartbeat was beginning to rise. She suggested we get out of the pool for an examination to see exactly where the baby was. I won’t lie, getting out of that water was the last thing I wanted to do. But Pete and Jen both felt it was the right call and I trusted them completely.
We moved into the living room and I got up onto the sofa for the examination. And there it was the news we needed. The baby’s head was right there. We were so close. What followed were around fifteen minutes of guided pushing on our sofa, Penny gently encouraging me, Pete’s hand never leaving mine, Jen quietly holding the space around us. And then, in our living room, on our sofa, in our home. Our baby arrived.
The moment Pete looked up at me and announced we had a girl is something I will carry with me forever. Our Hallie. Born at home, on our sofa, completely unmedicated. Not even gas and air.
I consider myself deeply lucky, but I also know that luck had very little to do with it. I trusted my body, I trusted my team, and I trusted the process. Birth doesn’t have to be something you simply endure. With the right preparation and the right people beside you, it can be one of the most empowering, beautiful experiences of your entire life.
It’s exactly why I do what I do.
My pregnancy with my second baby was a really smooth and straightforward journey, something I’m so grateful for. Everything went well throughout, and we were so excited when we found out we were expecting a baby girl.
During my pregnancy, Brydee was always there whenever I needed her — whether it was to talk through my plans, share my thoughts, or ease my worries. She really helped me stay as calm and relaxed as possible during what could have felt like a daunting time, and I’ll always be so thankful for that support.
Towards the end of my pregnancy, some of my later scans showed that she was measuring quite big, right up in the 100th centile. Because of this, I was advised about my options and the possible risks that could come with having a larger baby. I was given the choice of being induced or having a C-section, but I decided I wanted to wait as long as possible to see if our little girl would arrive in her own time.
She was due on the 24th of March, and I had an induction booked for the 21st of March just in case.
Then on the 20th of March, things started to happen on their own. I began having contractions that gradually became stronger and closer together. Me and my partner called triage, and they advised us to come into the maternity ward at Musgrove. When we arrived at around 4pm, everything started moving quite quickly. Within about 20 minutes we were in a labour room, and I was told I was already 5cm dilated.
My contractions were definitely ramping up by this point, but I tried to stay calm and focused on my breathing. I had my favourite music playing in the background and the lights dimmed, which helped create the calmest and most relaxed environment possible.
Labour progressed quite quickly after that. By around 10pm, I was 8cm dilated. I had access to a birthing pool in my labour suite, and I spent some time in there, which really helped ease the contractions and kept me feeling as calm and relaxed as I could.
Around 1am, I was told I had reached 10cm and it was nearly time to push. I used gas and air to manage the pain, which helped me so much through those final stages.
When it was time, I began pushing during my contractions, and after around 27 minutes, at 1:51am on the 21st of March, our beautiful baby girl Nancy arrived.
She weighed a healthy 8lb 14oz, and we were completely in love the moment we saw her. Thankfully she was happy and healthy, and we were both doing well. After a few hours of soaking it all in, we were able to leave the hospital at 10am and head home to Nancy’s older brother to start our family as a four.
It was such a special and empowering experience that I’ll never forget.
Went into labour at 39+1 after a lovely pregnancy.
Woke up Saturday morning with a bit of back pain but thought nothing of it as I had been to a wedding the day before so thought I had over done it. Had a bath to try and relax my back muscles. Around 11 I realised I hadn’t felt baby moving all morning so called triage and we were invited in for monitoring. 30mins on the monitor and bubba hadn’t moved but everything else looked good, so the midwives got me to move around a bit and sure enough baby started moving, after another half an hour of monitoring we were all satisfied baby was okay and just having a relaxing morning. While I was on the monitors they picked up some tightenings but nothing more than standard Braxton hicks.
I was offered an exam after the monitoring which I agreed to and found out I was 1-2cm dilated so accepted a sweep at the same time. Midwives advised me to go home and get some rest and expect things to start happening in the next 24/36hrs.
On the 20min journey home I was in a bit of discomfort but put that down to the sweep and just being a bit uncomfortable in the car (Marcus’ dodgy driving!). Once we got home I couldn’t get comfy and the pain had stepped up a bit so after observing for 30/45 mins we made the decision to call triage and head back in.
I managed to walk up to the lift and get back up to triage with Marcus’ help where we were told baby was on her way and wasn’t hanging around and they would try to get us up to delivery ward between contractions. We made it to the delivery ward where I made use of the gas and air and had an injection of pethidine. Ideally I wanted a water birth but the pool was in use so that wasn’t an option.
At this point I had another exam where they confirmed I was 9 cm dilated and soon enough it was time to start pushing. Baby arrived with not long after and I was lucky enough to only receive some grazing and no tears. My total labour and delivery time, including placenta was 3.5hrs, not bad for a first time!
I was lucky to have a very straightforward pregnancy, delivery and recovery and have to thank Brydee for her support and guidance along the way! Let’s hope it goes as smoothly second time around!
The Radiant Bloom Library
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