After a prelabour that lasted seemingly forever, Matthew was born at 1.04 yesterday morning, weighing 8 pounds 9 My waters broke at 9.30 on Saturday night, and I went straight into huge contractions that were every 2 minutes and lasted about 30 seconds. I called the labour ward and thye sent the community midwife to my house to check me over. She was lovely and reassuring, even though I had never met her before, and tried to convince me to stay at home as long as possible. I was really pleased to know that she would be there with me at hospital, I had thought that it would be a hospital midwife. She checked me a10 o clock and said I was 3-4 cm dilated, then left and told me to call her when we were on our way to hospital. At this point, people had started to come to organise dd and take her away for the night, and my friend arrived from an hour away in record time! I had started to get a bit panicky, as the contractions were very close together, so we left for the hospital, getting there by 11 and having about 5huge contractions as I walked from the car to the delivery room. I had told the midwife that I would like to try and use the birth pool, but she said that with an OP baby it probably wasn't best, although I ended up in the room with the pool anyway. The midwife arrived just as we did, and raised the bed as high as it would go, put some pillows on it for me to rest my head on, and told me to lean over it. I spent the whole labour like this, as well as briefly kneeling over a birth ball as I started pushing. The midwife was vewry hands off, offering encouragement but staying in the background (quite literally- she had a lovely view ) She told me that I would feel pressure in my bum and not to panic, which is just what I did do, as I couldn't believe that things were happening so quickly (dd was an induced labour that lasted 13 hours, with 2 hours of pushing and lots of intervention). My partner sat on the birth ball and supported me while I squatted and pushed him out in a second stage that lasted 8 minutes. His cord was very short so had to be cut straight away so I could pick him up. I am so so grateful for the fabulous midwife who made me believe that I really could do it. My last labour was awful and really was filled with fear but I can't believe what a positive experience it has been I had no drips or needles, and no stitches to a small tear. I got straight up and into the shower, wheeled straight to the ward and home within 12 hours. Now we are home he is feeding a lot and I am just waiting for my milk to come in to satisfy his huge tummy