I had the most amazing water birth at home four weeks ago, I can honestly say that I really enjoyed the labour and birth. I'll paste my birth story below:
I woke up at 6am on my due date thinking I could feel my waters starting to trickle so I ran to our bathroom where they started gushing on the way. I woke hubby and after our last baby was born before the midwives got here he was straight on the phone to triage! We were worried that they were going to say there wasn’t enough staff for a home birth, but I was so relieved when the lady on the phone said she would get the community midwife to phone me back. She phoned within 10 minutes, as my contractions hadn’t started at this point she suggested I phoned her back when they did but I explained that in my previous labours I delivered very soon after my contractions started. She then realised I was the lady who my midwife had emailed about and set off straight away, she was here within an hour of phoning and I’ve never seen my husband look so relieved when he heard her knock on the door!
At this point our two eldest children (10 and 8 years) were up and very excited. Hubby went downstairs to start inflating the pool and our daughter was putting all her battery tea lights on in the living room and turned on the fairy lights and light on the fire. I was sat upstairs in bed on a towel and going back over a couple of my hypnobirthing videos while I was waiting for the contractions to start.
The first midwife arrived just before 7am and I went downstairs at that point. She took my blood pressure and listened in on baby’s heartbeat, then other than listening to the heartbeat later on they didn’t touch me at all. Hubby started filling the pool and I was bouncing on my birthing ball. We had some breakfast then our almost 3 year old woke up about 8.30am. My contractions started around 9am (I’d already delivered our second and third by this point!). They were manageable through using my breathing techniques and bouncing on the ball helped. The two community midwives from my area arrived not long after and the first midwife left. Our children stayed until around 10am, then my husband took them next door. At this point my contractions started ramping up in intensity and frequency but I was still able to breathe my way through them. We were sat chatting and laughing with the midwives, it was so chilled. Hubby kept telling me off for not saying when I was having a contraction, but I was able to manage with just my breathing if I was left to it and I could see that the midwives knew when I was having one and were discretely watching me and writing it down!
I didn’t want to get into the pool too soon as I’d read that it can slow your labour down, but decided I felt ready about 11am. I remember hubby bringing in the step ladders for me to climb in, but the midwives suggested the little step would be better!! Once in the pool the relief from the water was amazing. I still kept focusing on my breathing throughout each contraction and imagining our baby being here soon. The midwives were incredible at making me feel relaxed, they never once asked me if I wanted a VE and instead encouraged me to go with whatever my body was telling me to do but I knew they were there if I needed.
Just after 11.30am I could feel the change into baby transitioning down and my body just took over and told me I needed to start pushing. I had gas and air at this point. I felt most comfortable leaning over the side of the pool and could feel gravity doing its thing. I did have a slight panic when the midwife told me I would need to be the one to bring baby up to me when he was born, but she assured me I would be able to do it! I used the gas and air for each contraction and was visualising his head coming down as I could feel it which really helped. My husband was amazing at reminding me about my breathing and telling me how good I was doing, and my midwife was helping to encourage me to breathe in fresh air when I wasn’t pushing. I felt his head emerging (11.47am) and it all felt so much more manageable this time, I think it was a combination of being in the water and having midwives present this time. His body followed soon after and I can’t even describe how incredible it felt when I held him and pulled him up to my chest. 🥰 He was so chilled when he was born, just looking around and taking it all in! I had delayed cord clamping and hubby went and got our children from next door so they could meet him after 5 minutes. Hubby cut the cord and I had the injection for the placenta this time as it took me over an hour to deliver it last time and I didn’t want to risk bleeding when everything had been so straightforward. He was born at 11.47am and feeding by 12.11pm!
I got out of the pool and the midwife examined me. I only had a first degree tear this time and they suggested it would heal best on its own, so this was the only one of my births where I haven’t had stitches. He had his Vitamin K injection and was weighed at 7lb 1oz. By 1.30pm I’d had a shower, was back downstairs dressed and with my hair dried and sat having cuddles as a family of 6 with a Dominoes on the way! The midwives left not long after. After a traumatic first hospital birth, second very quick hospital birth and third home birth without a midwife, we finally got the perfect home water birth that we always wanted. We felt so positive afterwards and I feel like I’ve recovered so quickly this time.