Hayden's birth story

4th November 2009

It was the week before my due date, my first son Dylan had been born on his expected day and knowing this was unlikely to happen again I had no real idea if I would be early or late. Despite the thought process of ‘it could be anytime now’ I knew it could also be a few more weeks and this was a time to be cherished and despite the huge belly, enjoyed.

Remembering the advice from my NCT teacher first time around to ‘get the oxytocin going’ I had spent the day before indulging myself with a spa gift from the girls at work, followed by a relaxing yoga class. During the class I was getting all sorts of twinges that continued through till I went to bed.

Dylan woke me up at 6am and despite the early start and mild back pains I felt full of energy. I took him downstairs and we snuggled up with a DVD. At around 8am and I got up to get a cuppa and suddenly it felt as if I had lost control of my bladder and I realised my waters had broken. This hadn’t happened until right at the end of my first birth so I was unsure about how imminent the birth would be. After contacting the midwife I was informed that it could be some time and if it was too long I would need to go into hospital for observation. I wasn’t having any strong contractions and so they advised me to work with gravity and to keep moving. I was hoping for a homebirth so started to feel a little unsure of what was ahead. It was conveniently the day that Dylan goes to nursery so he left with my husband, Jack, for work. I finished the ironing and started getting things a little organised in the house followed by shower and a second breakfast. Jack called and said he would be back at 11am and I told him not to hurry. I was feeling pretty relaxed and had been calling friends and family. As soon as Jack got back around 12pm the back pains were building and becoming more regular. I was keen for them to get going knowing it would bring me that much closer to meeting my baby. After about an hour I had a wave of tiredness and felt like relaxing in the bath. We put some music on and I continued to sing my way through the first really strong contractions whilst Jack timed them and read to me. They became increasingly intense and I suddenly felt a little bit like pushing. This sent me into a bit of a panic and I began to feel a little shaky as it seemed too soon so we let the midwife know things were progressing. By that time I was having some pretty impressive pain and had to be helped out of the bath. Each time I went to stand up my legs wobbled and I was back on all fours having a contraction. The midwife arrived 10 minutes later at around 2.30pm she checked me and I was only 3-4 cm dilated. I was surprised and dazed as the contractions felt so close together and unlike with my first I felt unable to stand and sway away the pain. We went downstairs and I tried to focus my mind on some of the things I’d practiced in yoga such as climbing a mountain and then down again with each contraction and then I switched to the image of a lotus flower opening. This really helped me during the moments of calm between contractions and I even managed to eat a flapjack and have a drink. Yet during the contraction I found it hard to gather my breath and would have to go down on my knees. So as things began to feel overwhelming I resorted to focusing on the tapping of my feet on the floor. I then asked to be helped to the toilet. As I sat down gravity worked its magic and I felt the urge to push. I was helped quickly off and carried into the lounge then back I went down on my knees with my head and torso resting on an arm chair. I could tell things were getting exciting by the tone of Jack’s voice, he kept saying ‘I can see the head...it’s amazing.. .well done…keep going’. The second midwife arrived at around 15:15, and then, only 15 minutes later at 15.27 Hayden was born.

It had all been pretty quick and I was amazed to be sitting there with my new baby staring at my amazing umbilical cord. The third stage also went pretty quickly and within a short period I was lounging back in a big comfy chair with a cup of tea whilst Hayden had his checks and daddy cuddles. After I had fed him I had a bath and they tucked me up in bed then Jack went off to pick Dylan up from nursery. My neighbour Vicky waited with me and said the house felt so calm and peaceful and was thrilled about the fact she was able to meet a 2hr old baby.
It was a truly beautiful experience and I never imagined I could do it without pain relief and actually really enjoy being totally in the moment. Dylan was very excited to meet his brother and has been coping incredibly well so far. He is very protective of Hayden and I am so proud of both my boys.

Pippa's birth story

Pippa’s Home Birth Story


It really starts five years ago! Pregnant with my first, I fully expected a late baby arriving after 12 or more hours of labour. Abby arrived on her due date after an hour and forty minutes of established labour. Talk about a shock to the system! About two and half years later, Matty also arrived on his due date and very quickly (about half an hour after we arrived at the hospital and with only one midwife in the room!).

Most significantly I had discovered that I could give birth on “just” gas and air and a tens machine – there was no time for anything else with Matty – and that’s what got me thinking about home birth. For both births I had woken with regular pains, made the decision to go to hospital fairly quickly and had a baby shortly after arriving – so I never really focussed on the labour – more on getting to hospital, a home birth would allow me to focus on the labour and maybe remember it this time!

I had most of the usual worries, childcare was a big one with two older children who I didn’t want present because I’m not quiet in labour and I didn’t want them to be frightened, worry about the previous speed of my labours – would the midwife get to us in time, what about the mess, how would I feel about having a baby in my front room, what if it went wrong – how would I feel about my decision maybe putting my baby at risk. Many of these issues we discussed at the Home Birth Group, some I resolved through the internet and reading books like Ina May’s Guide to Childbirth.
Having got everything organised – lists of contacts for people to take the children at different times of the day, arrangements made with both nurseries and with school etc we sat back and waited. And waited. After several false alarms I finally decided that this really was “it” at around 3am 5 days after my due date. I’d woken at about 1am with a trapped wind sensation, and gone down to bounce on my birth ball – I wasn’t going to let labour stop AGAIN! By about 3am I felt it was time to risk putting on my tens machine so woke my husband who wanted me to call the midwife immediately. I was pretty comfy still, but conscious that I had gone from comfy to birth rapidly in the past so agreed. The midwife called back and said she’d come round anyway – just in case!
On her arrival at about 4.15 I realised that I had met her five years before with Abby, which was a lovely bonus as at least she wasn’t a complete stranger that we had to get to know! Shortly after she arrived things slowed down – a lot. I was surprised at this and a bit cross as I’d kind of thought that we’d have a baby to show the children when they woke, so I bounced and walked around the ground floor willing the baby to head south and the contractions to pick up again. All the time we chatted, had tea and watched the news – it was so much better than piling into a car and driving across town! The pains were strong but manageable with the tens machine and various positions were I would rock through each one and then resume our conversation. Apart from listening to baby’s heartbeat I was left alone completely so had no idea how dilated I was – we just went with what I felt. I was so in control and the labour was so much less intense than before, that at one point I felt a little exposed – rather like I was the centre of attention and not performing quite as I should and had got hubby and midwife up in the middle of the night for no reason but was reassured that it was OK and no-one minded or was bothered.
We realised at about half six that this wasn’t going to be as quick as before and that the older children would be up and around in about half an hour and so we had to make plans. This also slowed labour down again. The children woke and were more than ok with mummy disappearing into the living room with the door shut every now and then (to rock through a contraction), they were introduced to the “baby doctor” and thought it was very exciting to be going off to someone else’s house for breakfast! It was only when Abby came down the second time that I remembered it was her birthday!
Once I knew they were going to be collected, labour stepped up a gear again – I now needed to kneel down and bury my face in the sofa through each contraction – I was determined not to let the children hear me in pain, but I did manage to get up and wave them off before retreating to the sofa again! As they left (at about eight o’clock I think) so the second midwife arrived, and it was at this point that I decided gas and air was needed and that the only person I could communicate with was my husband – and told him so. I remember thinking “ah, this is it, the point of no return” and “I must focus on this now”. It was great to know that the kids were safe and I could make as much noise as I wanted into the facemask! At one point the facemask bit fell off and I informed my husband very firmly “that can’t happen again”. It must have sounded so rude, me telling my husband that I wouldn’t listen to these two women who’d come to my house in the middle of the night to help me have a baby, but actually I was so much in a bubble and didn’t want the distraction, I hope they understood!

Pippa arrived after only forty five minutes of me needing gas and air, I do remember feeling her arrival (I don’t recall this with the previous two) and whilst it was hard work, and painful, it was so much easier that the hospital births – and I think that’s because I was kneeling instead of being on my back. I wasn’t nearly as shocked as I had been before – I’d been much more aware of the labour, had had time to think about it and prepare myself. That said, I’m a little fuzzy about the time immediately after the birth, I remember being cross that I was sitting on something lumpy (I wasn’t it was just the bruised sensation!), but don’t remember actually sitting down or picking Pippa up, then I remember being on the sofa so I must have delivered the placenta by then and I’m told that they checked for tears – but I was just focussed on Pippa (who was extremely cross and screaming!) and what we’d achieved!

The next most important thing was that Pippa found my breast by herself! I had read about newborns moving to find the nipple and latching on for their first feed, and here I was, sitting in my living room while my baby did just that! Wow! She fed and fed, I think for over an hour.

After a bath and some tea and toast I settled on the sofa with Pippa. The midwives were keen for me to go to bed but we had a five year old coming home who would want to open her birthday presents so stayed up but promised to go to bed later! We were on our own by midday, just us with no distractions, bliss.

I wouldn’t even consider a hospital birth if I was to have another, I had an easier, more enjoyable birth – even though it was twice as long as before, I recovered more quickly, and life returned to “normal” more quickly. With the hospital births we had a “normal” in hospital and then a “normal” at home, with the home birth we just got on with “normal”, which with three in the house is chaos!

Asher's birth story

The home birth of Asher
by Susanna Wain


We first started to consider having a home birth whilst attending parenting classes and learning about hospital births. Somehow talking through all the pain relief that would be available and how quickly you could have an epidural seemed very negative and as if the labour was something you had to endure, not enjoy and grow from. To start off with we tried to read as much as we could about home births - people's experiences, advice and guidance before and during the labour. We found that it allowed us to develop some knowledge and understanding of what it meant to have a home birth. We attended a home birthing group in Plymouth which meant being able to talk and listen to people’s real life stories of having a home birth. It was truly inspirational sharing these people’s experiences and got us very fired up about the prospect of being able to have our baby at home.

Deciding to have a home birth gave us a much more positive attitude to our labour. It felt that we were ourselves taking responsibility for the birth of our son. It was empowering to feel that I was trusting in myself and our baby that when the labour started we would know what to do (with the help of the midwives) and be able to do it. Also getting in the mindset that having a baby is a totally natural thing to do - in fact what our bodies are made for - meant that I wasn't seeing it as a medical procedure that needs to be a source of fear and anxiety. We tried to not put any pressure on ourselves or the situation. We hoped to have a home birth, but remained positive and optimistic about the possibility of having to go into hospital. Keeping at the forefront of our mind that the most important thing was for our son to be born safely and it would be wonderful and meaningful wherever he was born.

The actual labour was very quick and went much faster than we were expecting. We had stocked the house up with lots of energy enriching snacks, biscuits for the midwives and had the Lord of the Rings Trilogy on DVD ready to watch (expecting the labour to be over a couple of days). But in fact I hardly touched the snacks and the midwives didn't have time for any biscuits!

The contractions started late in the evening on the Sunday night, they were quite regular and strong from the start. I spent an hour or so in bed snoozing until 2am when they were getting stronger and I felt that I needed to get up and be distracted. As the contractions got stronger and quicker I found that I needed to keep moving. By spacing it kept my mind focused and by moving helped with the pain of the contractions. In the end I actually spent hours pacing from the kitchen to the mirror by the stairs, back and forth, back and forth, with my husband sometimes pacing with me. Or placing water or snacks on the dresser - for me to pick up on my way past! The pacing and the TENs machine helped keep the pain very manageable but kept my mind focused, also the movement of pacing helped bring the baby down. In the early morning we phoned the midwife. She arrived quickly and did an internal and to our delight we were already 7cm dilated!

At 8am ish we went upstairs to our bedroom for the final stages of labour and the second midwife was called for. I spent most of the time whilst properly laboring on all fours on our bed. Sometimes properly on all fours and when my arms got tired I would rest my head on my arms with my bottom in the air! My husband sat on the bed next to my head. This was lovely as he was able to hold my hand, stoke my head and encourage me. Our son’s heart rate didn't drop at all throughout the entire labour - and I am certain that this is because I was calm and relaxed from being so comfortable in my own home - with two wonderful midwives and a wonderful husband to help me! I had some gas and air when the contractions were very strong and to control my urge to push. But I certainly didn’t feel the need for any other type of pain relief - it was painful but not at all unbearable. Bringing our son around the final part of the birth canal was hard work and I got quite tired, but once he had crowned he was born a second later at 10:43 in the morning. And what joy to finally meet our baby and look into his beautiful eyes!

The pain was very manageable. It wasn't a scary experience at all, in fact quite the opposite. It was exciting, exhilarating and beautiful. Being positive and getting your mind set into how exciting going into labour is - finally after 40 weeks you get to meet your baby for the first time - made the prospect of going into labour something to look forward to rather than something to fear. I can truly say that I enjoyed the labour, it was hard work and painful at times - but it's not a scary pain, it's a working pain that is for a very good reason!

One of the wonderful things about having a home birth is being comfortable and relaxed in your own home, which I am sure helped our labour to progress so quickly and smoothly. We felt that we were in control of the birth of our son and weren't rushed along or pressured in any way throughout the labour. The midwives were phenomenal. We felt so looked after and in such safe hands. After our son was born my husband and I had a special family time holding him, breast feeding him and having skin on skin time whilst the midwives tidied up! I was popped into a warm bath, helped into a clean nighty, brought back to our now tidied bedroom (you wouldn't have know I had just had a baby), and popped back into a clean bed with my new born baby! Another huge advantage to having a home birth is of course we were already home, my husband didn't have to leave at any point because of visiting hours, and our parents were able to visit their new grandson within an hour or so of him being born and didn't have to wait for specific waiting hours to meet him!

Isabella's birth story

She was six days overdue. On this day - the day of Isabella's birth - I awoke at 6am (following what proved to be a small contraction and the cause of my 'on the hour' visits to the loo all night). At the time it hadn't dawned on me. Six days into expected parenthood and a week into his annual leave, my husband Gerard and I found ourselves on the other side of eagerly anticipated parenthood and instead, reflective, a little bored and very impatient.

We were waiting for the baby and my body to do their thing. I made for the bathroom, shut the doors behind me and poured a deep bath. As was my custom, I laid there talking to Pob (the temporary name we'd given our baby), stroking my belly and thinking about having her in my arms. At this time I must tell you that I was enormous, having acquired a very unrefined 5 stone to my pre-pregnancy figure and feeling very uncomfortable these days.
Laying there in the warm water, I got some instant relief, yet the pulling and yanking sensation in my tummy didn't abate, but increased. Quickly I came to understand that this was it: I was having small contractions! Pob was coming. I craned my head to scan the room for a time piece – usually I'd find a watch - but nothing was to hand. I counted elephants instead... the contractions were now 5 minutes apart. I can remember thinking: “I am sure I'm supposed to do something now”. But I remained excited and confident. I called Gerard a few times but received no response. I don't suppose he could hear me though the thick granite walls of our flat. Despite my excitement, I remain surprised when I recall how calm I was; it was as if I'd prepared for the birth my whole life. Nonetheless, I decided to get out and venture off to the bed room and arouse his moral support. As I had woken him nine months before with the words “we're going to have a baby” following the discovery of my pregnancy, I now whispered into his ear “the baby's coming”. His eyes flickered open, he drew in a big lungful of air and launched out of bed, grabbing his note pad which he'd started days before in order to time my contractions and jot everything down. My contractions were well established and were growing in strength and pace and they settled into a measurable rhythm so we decided to monitor them closely.

In to the kitchen then. As I bounced on the birthing ball, I ran through a check-list which Gerard went on to record with his biro: Plastic sheeting down on all the carpeted areas, in the bedroom and on the bed - check; Soothing and non-invasive music track (Jean Michel Jarre) in the player – check; Plenty of food for me, Ger and the midwives – check; Magazines and hospital bag packed just in case – check. Gerard made breakfast - scrambled eggs on toast. I ate like a horse (thank God). The contractions made it past the eggs but suddenly began to get stronger so we called the on-call midwives.

Gerard was quizzed on several points and Liz, a midwife who we'd had a lot of contact with in these last 3 months, said she would come right out. She arrived around 10 O'clock as I was using the bedroom wall to assist my birthing yoga positions. Gerard was busying himself with activities to facilitate both pre and post birth stages.

As per my birth plan, I wasn't examined. Instead, Liz stayed close to me and monitored me as I struck strange poses. Around 11 or so, she declared it was time for the pool. Oh shit the pool! it was inflated but unfilled. With great haste, Gerard and Liz proceeded to establish a filling and pouring regime which enabled one of them to remain with me at all times. After a little while Gerard returned triumphant – the task completed. Then a second midwife appeared (who was also called Liz!) and finally my mum arrived by 11:15. They all accompanied me down the hallway and into the kitchen where I saw the pool. I was overwhelmed with happiness as I adore the water and had always hoped for a water birth.

It was now 12 O'clock and my pain was becoming intense. I recall how desperately I longed to get into that pool. I'd planned to wear a bikini top to cover my modesty and have a neat hair band, but within minutes I was naked and Ger was helping me over the side of the pool and into the warm water. I sunk in up to my neck, the whole of my body enveloped in delicious buoyancy. Heaven! The pain had not completely receded, but it had cranked down several notches, to the level I'd experienced earlier that morning. I was thankful that I could take a breath. In the pool, semisuspended in the warmth, I arched back and touched my tummy, realising I would very soon be holding my beautiful baby! A few times before she was born, the pain receded enough to permit this indulgence and I was, every time, filled with the deepest joy and thrill. The next four hours sped by and I remember only moments; my mum stroking my head and leaning into me; the wonderful watery ambience of the music we'd set to repeat; both Liz's chatting and joking with us all, and the Liz we didn't know so well eating the sandwiches she'd brought for her lunch. I looked to Ger and asked him to get into the pool: I needed him to be closer. Looking into his eyes was getting me through the contractions. He disappeared momentarily and reappeared with trunks and a t-shirt and jumped in. I was tiring and much of my consciousness altered so that my mum and Ger said I became very withdrawn into myself and, for a long time, the room took on a primal quality and became dominated with the sound and timbre of my breathing. Gerard tells me how distinct and atypical these sounds were. He had enveloped me with his arms and I floated on and off his lap, sometimes writhing and re-adjusting as I needed. I felt able to breathe and having him hold me was the reassurance I needed in those moments of sober reflection and subsequent worry.

I floated through many hours in this twilight. Eventually, one of our midwives suggested we bring little Pob along and she asked if she could break my waters as they had not yet gone. My Birthing Plan recorded my wishes to not have this done, but now, without much in the way of deep thought, I didn't view the procedure as too intrusive and I figured that it may, indeed, move things along. It worked! After all my thinking of 'how will I know when to push', I had a very sudden, irresistible and relentless sensation. I exclaimed loudly, “I want to push!” I had always known that my baby would be big. What with my mums' track record of exceedingly large babies – a sister at 10.2lbs (full term) and another at 8.6lbs a month early - coupled with my enormous bump ( a constant question of 'is it twins?'), I had something between a hunch and certainty!

I can't recall too much of the birth itself. I've had to rely on details provided by Ger, my mum and the two midwives. They all say that at the commencement of my pushing Bella out into the water, I began to sound distinctly primal – ancient and earthy. I had read some accounts of birth during my pregnancy, and it seems that this is a common experience. It didn't take too long to produce Bella's head between my legs. Ger tells me that, from his viewpoint, which was right over my shoulder, he could see her purple/blue head topped with a copious mat of swirling hair. Our midwife, Liz, produced a small mirror for me to see. I gave way to tears at the sight of this miracle. Once Bella's head had passed through me and into the water, she needed to be adjusted slightly and a smaller effort was required when I commenced to heed the midwives' instruction to push once more.
Blue, puffy, bloody and incredibly long, she arrived on my chest and in that moment I had arrived. My life up until that moment stopped and as I felt the warmth of my husbands embrace and felt the wonder of my glorious daughter breathing upon my chest, the midwives brought the scissors and my husband cut our cord. My mum sobbed and I just thanked God for giving me this beautiful child to watch over and care for.
We were in the pool for a time and now needed to get out, I stood up and Liz told me I had torn but asked could I walk? I rose with the help of Ger, exhausted but energised I hopped over the side of the pool and with that my placenta fell to the ground, I walked on and left it discarded. We headed to the bedroom and Ger got me into bed, mum followed with our beautiful daughter Isabella Josephine and handed her to me. We sat for a photo on the bed and then I cuddled in and nursed my baby. Liz came in and announced to the room that our baby weighed ….10lb 6oz's.
Everyone hurried around, cleaning up, writing in charts, taking pictures and generally getting on, mum even made dinner. As I laid in another dimension just me and my 'Belle. Breast feeding was wonderful, yet slightly uncomfortable and uneasy to start, but I knew I wanted to give it a good try. As I lay there, Liz came over and asked if she could examine me, I passed Isabella to my mum and was handed the Gas and Air, after several intakes of air I prepared myself, but the pain was worse than the birth. Liz then told me it was a bad tear and would need stitches, under anesthetic! No! my home birth was nearly over and they were telling me I need to go to hospital. We called our friend Cheryl, another midwife a little more experienced at sewing; she came round on a day off and took a look! How nice. She was just telling me that I would definitely need to go in as it was probably a third degree tear. Just then I went - I slipped away to somewhere else. I could hear loud bells in my head and in the next moment Ger was straddling my chest and shouting for me to come round. I did. Mum was in the corner of the room with Isabella whilst Cheryl was busy rushing around to get things. I heard something about bleeding, catheters, Haemorrhaging - we needed an ambulance. I began to come round and Cheryl told me I'd had a Postpartum Haemorrhage and had lost a lot of blood, I would now need a transfusion and stitching.
Off we went in the ambulance myself with 'Bella and Liz, Gerard and my mum followed. The doctors came and examined me. I was taken straight away for surgery; luckily it was only a second degree tear. After several hours of stitching I was wheeled off to my room and hooked up to a transfusion. That evening after Gerard was made to leave I lay there with my baby, sad not to be at home but right there I reconciled myself to being safe and having her in my arms. I would soon be home. I had had my water birth and one day I would be able to tell Isabella that she was born at home in our kitchen.
I have written this 'birthing story' sitting at the kitchen table with my now sixteen month old daughter drawing next to me. She is like any other child - a joy to behold. I do believe that having a home birth with little medical intervention allowed me to remain calm and keep my focus, allowing for a relatively easy birth of a very large baby! I am still breastfeeding and have struggled recently with other people's views on my prolonged breastfeeding of my now wriggling little girl. After researching and reading I have regained my confidence, deciding I am happy to continue to nurture this bond and will continue to demand feed until my daughter no longer demands.
Although Isabella's birth didn't follow my plan precisely, I am pleased I did so much research and happy I had a guide to follow. I now understand that my birth story is just as it should be and I hope your birth brings you as much joy.

Paisley's birth story

Paisley James Vinecombe

Born 21st January 2009

Being pregnant with my second child, I was sure hoping this baby was going to come early but with more visits to the midwife and already a week and a half overdue, I was booked in for induction on the 23rd of January. My first baby was induced so I knew what to expect. Already fed up, the days seemed to get longer and longer and I was getting myself prepared for Friday when I was to go into hospital. It was my daughters birthday on the 17th of January and towards the end of the day I felt a few niggley pains but they went away so I wasn’t too concerned.

As normal I took my girl to school on the Monday and the Tuesday, then on the Wednesday the 21st I noticed I had a very swollen face as well as ankles and hands. I also felt the baby was very low and when I walked it was so uncomfortable.

That evening I thought I would get my daughter into bed, relax, have a hot bath and then get into bed. My partner fell asleep at about 9.30pm and I was playing on the Nintendo DS. I looked at the clock it read 10.05pm and I thought ‘I'm just going to finish this game and go to sleep’.

At 10.10pm, I went to put the DS away and dropped it due to crippling pain followed by a sudden urge to go to the toilet. My bowels opened and I couldn’t get off the toilet. The contractions were quite close together and my partner woke up at about 10.40pm to all the commotion. We timed the contractions they were every 2-3mins apart. He rang my mum to come over to look after my daughter and then we rang the labour ward. I spoke to the midwife told her how far apart my contractions were and she said to come in. Still waiting for my mum to arrive my contractions were getting stronger and more frequent. I went downstairs and straight back onto the toilet. My partner was putting the bags in the car and when he came back in I told him I had to push and to phone an ambulance right away. My partner was talking to paramedics on the phone and I was in the hallway on my hands and knees. The Paramedics told my partner to get me on my back as I could put my baby at risk.

Within minutes of me going onto my back the baby's head had appeared into my partners hands. He was still on the phone to the paramedics and they were talking him through what to do. At that moment the ambulance arrived and the paramedic delivered my beautiful baby boy. They took me into hospital after just to make sure that everything was ok. My partner had been amazing throughout this experience and although we were both left in shock at having an unplanned home birth, I would highly recommend a home birth to anyone. If I have another baby I will be planning a home birth from the start.

Birth pool loan

Our support network is very fortunate to now have FIVE hospital standard inflatable birth pools in a box (BPIAB). Two have been funded by Nomony Children's Centre, the 3rd was funded by the Primary Care Trust. Two of these were purchased in January 2010and another in December 2010. The 4th and 5th pools were donated to us from The Good Birth Company and were recieved in March 2010. We also have a 5th regular size BPIAB which was donated to us by a very kind Plymouth family who used the pool to have their baby boy in 2009.




The pools are free to borrow and a pool liner will need to be purchased from us at a cost of £30.00.
The pools can be booked and liners paid for through the support groups. See the meetings page on this site for dates and times of groups. Alternatively you can contact us for booking pools. See the contact us page for more details. We have a document which we can provide you with outlining the other items you will need to buy yourself to complete your preparation for a home water birth.

Download pool guidance PDF.

George's birth story

The birth of George William Roberts

20th September 2008


I was 3 days past my due date apparently although I always thought I was 40+1 but anyway it was Friday 19th September; teatime. I was really grumpy and moaning at my poor husband Will over just about everything including how heavy he was breathing...poor fella!! Had lots of grumbly period pains since 5pm and was generally tired and whingy!!
18.30 came and normal routine of putting Henry (No1 son aged 18 months) in the bath commenced. While Will was dressing Henry for bed, I decided we needed to empty the birth pool as it was on day 8 of the same water and was supposed to be changed on day 7. We hired a heated pool to make life easier for Will.it was a fantastic pool and can be hired from www.aquabubs.co.uk. Will said it was too much hassle to empty the pool and nothing was going to happen tonight and as he was going to squash club it can be done tomorrow. I huffed and puffed and stormed out of the room saying I would do it myself and promptly started to get the pump together to empty the thing!!
Will came down and took over from me and I told him I was getting some heavy period type pain and things may start tonight. He thought I was being dramatic and just saying that to stop him going to squash....as if I would do such a thing!! So, he took over and I went to feed Henry for bed. While I was nursing Henry the familiar period type contraction pain started but I didn't think too much of it at that point. Came back downstairs and the pool was emptying nicely. I started to look at the clock as I was getting waves of the pain rather than a constant dull ache. I announced to Will that the baby was coming tonight and I was officially in labour and that the contractions were actually every 5-6 mins apart....of course he didn't believe me, then he panicked and asked ‘why the hell were we emptying the pool!!’ It had to be emptied otherwise we risked not being able to use it...so we continued to empty it and in the meantime, I put the hot water on so we ensured having a full tank when the time to refill came. By 19.30 the pool was almost empty and so we started to refill with cold water from the outside garden hose. We tried to connect the hose to the kitchen tap with the so called 'universal' tap adaptor, but of course it didn’t fit! Will started to panic then and so me being very calm said ‘lets not find problems lets find solutions....get some buckets!!’ so we (well he) bucketed in 20+ buckets of boiling hot water to the pool. The temp was around 34 degrees by the time it was full so we popped the cover on and turned up the heater.

At 2030 I called the midwife just to let her know I was in labour but I was fine. She told me her hubby was just dishing up her tea and could she eat it? I said that I was fine and contractions were manageable. She said to call her back when the contractions intensified. By 1030 I had my TENS machine on and things were hotting up a bit. I called the midwife again and explained contractions were 4-5 mins and lasting around a minute each and were painful but ok. She said she would come.

She arrived at 1115 and started taking my blood pressure and listened to the baby’s heartbeat. I was bouncing on my birthing ball in the front room using my TENS machine and breathing and relaxing through the contractions. Relaxing my body deep into each contraction really helped the pain. At 1145 while bouncing, I heard a pop and felt a warm sensation down below….my waters had gone. I grabbed the beach towel that was on the carpet next to my ball and managed to stuff it under myself. I then made my way to the conservatory (towel between my legs) where the pool was set up and sat on the sofa. The midwife (Sonia) said she'd like to examine me which was fine.....the contractions, since my waters broke, were really painful now so I was hoping she was going to bring me happy news and let me get in the pool. I was 5-6 cm dilated...yippee!! I was able to get into the pool at 1205am. The contractions were very painful now and I asked for some gas and air....what fab stuff that is!! I moved around the pool from my front up on to my knees and then sitting back down again. The freedom of movement was bliss. By 1225 I had an urge to push and my body almost took over at that point. Still using the gas and air and moving around the pool 10 minutes later at 1235, I had a greater urge to push and my body began to push without me even doing anything. Sonia was lovely and told me to let my body do what it wants to do. So I am pushing and probably grunting and mooing and at 12.45 the head was crowning and I reached down to feel. Another push and the babies head was out. At 12.50 our second child came into the world...his shoulders had got a bit stuck so the midwife had to give him a little tug I think. Sonia reached down for the baby and gave him straight to me. I held him under the water and he was very floppy and looked quite grey. Sonia gave baby a rub on its back and within seconds baby gasped and was breathing. The cord felt quite short so I had to hold baby under the water quite low down. The 2nd midwife then arrived....just a few minutes too late, but it was good to see Dee who I knew.

Will wasn't in the room as I think he panicked and left looking for towels when baby wasn't breathing initially....when he came back I wanted us to look to see what we had together. I tried to feel but couldn't so I lifted up a leg and there we found a little boys bits!! Another son to make us a family of four and a new little brother for Henry. I sat there for 20 minutes and waited for the cord to stop pulsating and then Sonia cut it and handed our little boy to his daddy. He was pleased as punch and grinning from ear to ear. I climbed out of the pool and laid on the sofa ready for the 3rd stage. I wanted to have a natural 3rd stage so we waited.... I had the urge to stand up as I had what felt like cramp in my hips and so I squatted and with a few pushes the placenta was delivered. The 2nd midwife just about caught it in her dish!

I was then examined down below and they found that I had quite a nasty jagged tear with a tag which needed more detailed stitching than the midwife felt she wanted to do herself. This meant a trip into hospital unfortunately. The hospital was 3 minutes up the road so it wasn't a problem and I was just concerned that I got a good embroidery job!! Before we set off to the hospital, I fed our new baby boy and Will came and sat beside me. We discussed names and decided on George William Roberts. George fed for around 40 minutes (he was a natural just like his big brother!!). We called my neighbour Ali who came and sat with Henry (who was sound asleep throughout the whole amazing event) while we went to the hospital. We got to the hospital at 0245am for suturing which I have to say was far worse than the labour and delivery!! I used gas and air throughout and it was found to be a 2nd degree tear. I was home by 0430 and in bed by 5am. Sent out a few texts and then slept. Only to be woken at 6am by Henry. I gave him a breastfeed in the hope he would go back to sleep and left him in his room. He must have gone back to sleep as we didn't hear him until 08.30....i managed to get a couple of hours much needed sleep!!
We introduced Henry to his new baby brother which was a lovely moment. Henry adores his baby brother and keeps saying baby and puckering up for kisses!!

Such a different birth experience to last time I am pleased to say. We decided that night we would probably have a number 3....because of having such an amazing experience with delivering George. Will was very anxious about a homebirth but now it is over he was glad that I had the birth I wanted and that it was such a positive experience all round.

So now I am a proud mummy to 2 beautifully handsome boys and have hopped on board the journey of tandem breast feeding. I am writing this story on day 17 post George’s birth and at this point Henry has upped his breastfeeding 5 fold...he is enjoying mummy's new found milk supply and is making the most of it!!

Ellie's birth story

Ellie’s Homebirth Story

I had a trouble free straightforward birth in hospital with my son, so when I became pregnant again my midwife suggested that I may be a candidate for a homebirth. I was very interested in this as it meant that I could have more control over the situation.

As my pregnancy progressed my midwife transferred my care to a community midwife who is a friend of mine and who lived nearby. She came and brought the homebirth kit around in a huge yellow bucket and it was stored behind the telly. She also suggested that I make a birthing mat by taping two bin liners together, putting a thick layer of newspaper on top, and finally covering it all with an old sheet. The idea was that I could give birth on it and then the whole thing could be rolled up and thrown away after. This I did and stored with the kit.

My due date (01/05/03) came and went with no sign. By eight days overdue I had a sweep and was booked in for an induction for twelve days over (12/05). I wasn’t happy at the thought of induction, but I had developed quite severe SPD, was extremely uncomfortable, and having ‘an end in sight ‘was reassuring.
By this time I was taking raspberry leaf tea, grape juice, walking up and down the road continually, and was really fed up. I had two bouts of false labour which lasted four or five hours each but came to nothing.

On the tenth of May, I had my bag and notes packed and was looking forward to the first anniversary party at Latch on the next day. I had my son organised to go to grandparents and was ready to go in and be induced.....
That night I want to bed as normal, but woke up at 3am feeling a bit uncomfortable. As I lay there watching the clock I thought I was having faint contractions, but didn’t take much notice. By 3.15 however I was having strong contractions every 3 minutes and woke my husband. He rang the midwife and I went downstairs and wandered about leaning on the kitchen worktop whenever I had a contraction.
The midwife arrived five minutes later, dragging a massive Stanley tool box behind her which was a bit off-putting! She took one look at me and said’ This won’t take long’!!.

By this time (4.10) I was on the mat, leaning on a birth ball which was wonderful. I was rocking backwards and forwards and Andy was rubbing my back. I had gas and air which took the edge off the contractions which were almost continuous now. She took my blood pressure which was steady at 120 over 70, and checked me and found I was fully dilated.

At 4.30 I started to feel the urge to push, and at just before 4.40 Ellie was born. As I was squatting my husband and Nicky caught her and passed her to me. I had my first cuddle while Andy cut the cord, and gave her a first breastfeed. Andy then had a cuddle while I was cleaned up, and then the second midwife arrived in time to weigh her (8lb) and make tea and toast (heaven).

At about 5.30 Andy went and got Connor out of bed to meet his new sister but at 16 months he wasn’t really impressed and went back to bed. He then phoned everybody whilst I had a bath and got changed. I had a bed made up on the settee as my mother in law can’t get upstairs and was told to stay there for at least two days, three if possible and be waited on. My mum was there at 8.30 am with an outfit for her, and Andy took Connor to the Latch on group to tell everyone, and came home with a big plate of party food which was very welcome.

I know this sounds ideal and too good to be true, but it’s important to realise that it can go well, and you don’t have to have problems and dramas when giving birth. The only pain relief I had was a quarter of a tank of gas and air, and that was all I needed. In my own home I felt in control, relaxed and safe.

Mandy Chapman

Lily's birth story

Lily Devon Boutwood
Born 31st January 2008

Monday 28th January 2008 - visit the midwife, I am 40+5 and beg for a sweep as I went so overdue with my first baby I ended up with an induction. I am desperate to have a home birth and the midwife agrees to give me a sweep. She tells me my cervix is favourable and stretchy but not dilated at all. This over with I head home hoping it will do the job!!

Tuesday 29th January 2008/ Wednesday 30th January 2008 - Something is definitely occurring, having lots of Braxton hicks and some mild contractions, baby still very active and need the loo lots. Hoping that the sweep has done its job! Then disaster strikes and my husband comes down with a vomiting bug. Panicked that I am going in to labour with the possibility of having no birth partner and/or child care for my toddler I think my body stalls labour. Still having lots of mild niggles but not regular like they were.

Wednesday night/ Thursday 31st January - Go to bed early as feeling drained from having an ill husband and a toddler running around, feeling very tired. Get woken up at about 1:30am by stronger contractions, they are still only coming every 20 minutes or so, doze for a bit, waking up with the contractions. Feel relaxed and they are easy to deal with. Read Closer for a bit around 4am as they are starting to get stronger and around 10 minutes apart. Start to think that this is definitely it! At around 6am decide to go downstairs for a walk around the living room. This makes the contractions much stronger and decide it’s time to put on the TENS machine. Tom is feeling better, has stopped being sick, although he still looks awful! Call my mum around 7:30 to let her know today is the day and not to go to work! Still feeling fine and managing the contractions but Tom calls the midwife. I say coping fine and not to come over yet, but they decide to pay me a visit as we lived in a very rural location.

Midwife and a third year student arrive around 9ish and check me over, she asks if she can do an internal to which I agree. Only 2cms and a bit disappointed! They leave promising to be back at lunch time.

Labour steps up a bit and decide to listen to hypnobirthing CD which helps to relax me, contractions coming strong and regular now and by the time the midwife returns at around 1:30 I am 7cms. Feeling really happy that I have done so well!

Mum decides now would be a good time to take Freya, my toddler, out of the house. I get very emotional as feel like I am losing her as a baby. Start to cry and get very upset when she has gone. Labour gets very intense at this point and the contractions begin to roll in to one another. Ask for some gas and air as feeling quite panicky. (In hindsight I think I stopped being so relaxed and that’s why it got so bad!)

I don’t remember much from this period of my labour, apart from the student midwife. She was amazing, she made herself really clear as to what she was doing and massaged my sacrum which really helped with the contractions.

The midwives asked me to stop using the gas and air as I wasn’t using it properly. When this happened I seemed to calm down a bit. Decided I needed a wee and was helped to the loo.

When I came back to the living room assumed a kneeling position against the sofa, which is where I had been for a while. Started to feel the urge to push but the midwife wanted to check I was dilated before I pushed. Another internal revealed I was 10cms, very relieved to hear this!

Pushing was very easy and took around 15 minutes to push her out. I liked this bit of my labour as I felt back in control and the contractions were really clearly defined. The student midwife was amazing as she directed me very clearly as to what I needed to do. My waters still hadn’t broken at this point and they started to make noises about rupturing them for me as was stopping the baby being born. But a couple of contractions later they burst and gushed everywhere! Lily Devon was born with the next push at 5:40pm

They passed her through my legs and helped me on to the sofa so she lay on my chest. We allowed her to root and find the breast herself which was amazing. After she had had a good feed they decided to get me standing up, in the hope that the placenta might deliver. I had opted for a physiological 3rd stage. Immediately on standing I started to get cramps in my hips and down my legs, with a small push the placenta was delivered.

I would love at this point to say that we then all snuggled up as a family and went to sleep, however I unfortunately had a post partum haemorrhage. The midwives were eager for me to go to the loo as going for a wee can help stop the bleeding; however I passed out upon standing. They decided to call the ambulance at this point and the midwife inserted a canula and administered IV fluids, she also gave me a syntometrin shot in order to try and stop the haemorrhage.

The ambulance arrived and took me to Princess Alexandra Hospital in Harlow where I had a manual removal performed on the delivery suite. I was discharged the following morning with iron levels of 8.2 and told to take it easy. I had lost around 1200 – 1500mls of blood.

The midwife visited on the Saturday morning and expressed concern about how pale and weak I looked. She got a prescription for iron tablets for me and said to call if I felt worse.

By Sunday I was scared to pick Lily up as was feeling very dizzy and weak. Decided to readmit myself to hospital and my mum took me to Addenbrookes in Cambridge. They checked my iron levels and they had dropped to 6.9 so had a 2 units of blood transfused.

Despite the fact that I had the haemorrhage at home, I have to say that I would still whole heartedly recommend Home Birth. Just because it didn’t go according to plan doesn’t mean that it wasn’t an amazing, empowering and magical experience. The midwives were well equipped to deal with the medical emergency that happened and their ability to handle the situation proved to me that I had made the right decision to have my baby at home.

Mel & Lily
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Daniel's home birth story

Daniel
Our 1st baby

It was Wednesday 19th November 2008 and I was already a week over due and to be perfectly frank, pretty fed up with being pregnant and 2 & ½ stone over weight! I was due to have a sweep by my midwife that afternoon. About an hour before the sweep I began to get some pains in my lower back and belly area but they were not frequent and didn’t bother me too much so I continued onto the surgery to see the midwife anyway. She examined me and informed me I was 1 – 2 cms dilated. This was great news!! She carried out the sweep anyway to speed things up a little (although given the choice again I would not have had it!! It hurt!) That evening the pains grew worse and were bad enough to keep me up all night and all day the following day however, they were still not frequent enough to be classed as contractions. By 3pm on the Thursday I was completely shattered so decided to get some sleep on the couch. I woke 2 hours later to no pain what so ever. I was very disappointed as I had been booked into hospital on the Monday to be induced and this was all I could think of now, my home birth would be ruined!

Friday I woke still with no pain, had a normal day, and my mum even went home (to Newton Abbot) as all the pains had stopped for 24 hours at least and she saw no point in hanging around for the birth which we felt wasn’t going to happen. I went to bed at 11pm and my partner slept in the room next door with his daughter Lucy as I was awful to sleep with by then and he was getting more and more tired by the day. At midnight exactly, I had the most awful pain in my belly and flew out of bed quicker than I had moved in months! I stayed in my room alone for 20 mins trying to time the contractions which by then were obvious! I was in too much pain to do it myself so I woke my partner up! He came in and timed them and straight away they were 6 mins apart.

Mark immediately assembled the birth pool and filled with warm water and then called the midwife once I was settled and dealing with the pain myself in the pool. He also had to call my mum and ask her to drive back to Plymouth (she’d only left 5 hours previous). The midwife arrived within the hour and checked mine and the baby’s heart rate and then timed my contractions herself. She agreed that they were pretty close and that she would be staying from then on. She gave me gas and air which worked very well once I got the hang of breathing it in correctly but the canister ran empty after 25 mins. She informed us that she has another canister and went to her car to get it, however, this one was also empty! I was distraught as I had begun to rely on the pain relief by then!! She called the second midwife to come early and bring more gas and air. By now I had been in labour for 4 hours, still in the pool and with no gas and air. I was struggling a little and the midwife offered me diamorphine which I declined first of all and stayed in the pool for another half hour waiting for the second midwife, however, I had to give up and have the injection which meant getting out of the pool and not being allowed my water birth. My partner packed the birth pool away and I set up camp on the floor on plenty of old duvets and pillows that I didn’t mind throwing away. I was still happy though as I was still at home in my own environment which meant a lot to me.

By then it was 5.30am and the second midwife had arrived. The diamorphine had kicked in wonderfully and I was off with the fairies and requesting a taxi to take me to the nearest night club! The diamorphine wore off very quickly though and by 6.30am I was in pain again! I requested my second shot of morphine but upon an internal investigation, she found that I was 8cms dilated and too close to pushing so she would not allow me to have any more! Gas and air wasn’t really working by this stage either so I gave up on that and just concentrated hard on dealing with the pain. I started to think back to all the books I had read through my pregnancy and one stood out from the rest, Hypnobirthing! Sounds strange, but to concentrate on what your baby is going through compared to your own pain actually helps! I kept thinking of how hard and scary it must have been for him and how happy we will all be once he was out! Before I knew it I had the urge to push (although I thought that was for a poo and not to give birth!) The midwife obviously knew I was pushing the baby out and encouraged me to keep pushing. It was very hard work and frustrating because you do not feel as though you are getting anywhere! One minute they are telling you the heads there but the next it’s gone again!! How annoying!! I gave one last almighty push believing it was the last bit of energy I had and out he came! He was born at 8.15am!

He was given straight to me for a cuddle whilst the midwives delivered the placenta. He was then quickly checked for his blood type as I am A Negative and depending on his blood group I needed another Anti D Injection. Then he was given a vitamin K injection and given to his Daddy to dress him. By then I was up off the floor and comfy on my couch when he was given back to me. We cuddled and he fed for about half hour and then I got a bath whilst he slept (closely watched by his Daddy and Nanny). Within 2 hours of having him the rest of my family arrived to meet the little chap. What an experience! My partner was never too happy about the home birth but now he has done it he said it was the most amazing experience he’d had. His first wife had their child in hospital and out of the 2 births he says mine was more relaxed and enjoyable, needless to say comfy!!

Home birth stories

Read George's story (home water birth, 2nd baby)

Read Ellie's story (home birth, 2nd baby)

Read Lily's story (home birth, 2nd baby)

Read Daniel's story (home birth, 1st baby)

Read Paisley's story (unplanned home birth, fast delivery)

Read Asher's story (home birth, 1st baby)

Read Isabella's story (home water birth, 1st baby)

Read Hayden's story (home birth, 2nd baby)

Read Pippa's story (home birth, 3rd baby)

Read Lauren's story (home birth, 4th baby)

Read Oscar's story (planned home birth, hospital transfer)

Read Emma's birth experiences (all sorts!)

Read Kath's birth story (planned home birth, hospital transfer)

Read Tracey's birth experiences (one hospital birth followed by 3 home births)

Read Damien's story (home birth, 1st baby)