04/05/2022
Mama and hypnobirthing teacher and cheerleader tells us all about her home births 🤰👶
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“Both my birth experiences are so similar but they both started out very differently (see below). Both born at home, in a pool within 4 or 5 hours from start to finish and both were born around 4am ☺️
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Bonnie was born at 38 weeks, nearly 10 years ago. I was watching Game of Thrones in bed with my husband Tony and then at around midnight my waters suddenly went in a great big whoosh! I just remember feeling so excited and started Googling ‘how long until labour starts?’ I remember feeling very loved up and high and happy. We had made a cozy nest in our living room/kitchen and I went in there and sat on my ball, bouncing, drinking tea and breathing for the whole time, while Tony literally built a birth pool. For some reason we thought a wooden Danish number would be the best option.. btw it isn’t! It literally took him 4 hours to build and fill it 😆 Anyway… We also had my friend’s dog staying - a very active little Jack Russell called Monty, who surprisingly was amazingly chilled out during the whole labour. Although I do remember the Midwife shouting ‘get that bloody dog out of here’ when I was totally zoned out in active labour 😝
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My mum was also staying in the spare room because the week before I had gone into hospital with a suspected appendicitis (thankfully it was nothing much), so she had delayed her trip back home. I was also very lucky to have the same Midwife who had looked after me in hospital during my whole labour and she was just wonderful. Very hands off and filled me with loads of confidence.
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When the Midwife checked me, thinking she could go to another home birth, I remember her panicking because I was ‘suddenly’ 10cm and she didn’t have another Midwife there. I was actually quite pleased to know I was fully dilated at this point because I hadn’t felt the ‘transition’ stage like I was expecting, so I knew I had to get into the pool that moment..(continued in comments)