Birth story - Melissa and baby Henry

I'd been diagnosed with GD around 24 weeks and was devastated as it meant more monitoring and the birth centre was a no go.

I had already started the hypnobirthing course and after I'd had a little talk to myself I re-evaluated and changed my birth preferences.

Every appointment and growth scan I was told everything was fine and well within limits and so I decided I would labour at home for as long as possible before going to hospital. Little did we know that would be three hours!!

The day of Henry's birth was just like any other. I'd been having tightenings for weeks and hadn't had any more than usual that day. I'd been on a nice walk and had prepared the house for my parents coming to visit for the weekend. We were all sat down after dinner when my waters spectacularly broke.

My husband prepared our bedroom with candles and popped the clary sage into the diffuser. He also began running me a candle lit bath which I got in straight away. My surges had already started and were pretty intense quite quickly but I used my up breathing and listened to the positive affirmations.

After being told to wait a couple of hours by the hospital I very much got in the zone and bounced on my ball, got back in the bath, although I was not as comfortable as I thought I would be there and I just let my body do it's thing. I soon got out and popped on the tens machine.

Mum and Dad were packed off to a hotel as we got ready for what I thought would be a long night!

The surges were very close together very quickly and I think I would have panicked if I hadn't had my toolkit from the course. I used my breathing and UFO positions and turned my tens machine on. My husband was timing and called the hospital back after an hour who suggested we come in.

I was most comfortable sat over the toilet and so stayed there whilst he loaded up the car. During this time it was like someone had flicked a switch and my body began to down breath and I could feel baby's head. As my husband came back I stood up and told him baby was coming. He didn't believe me but soon did when he saw.

We then called 999 which could have sent me into a panic but I knew my body was in control and would birth my baby safely.

After a few down breaths, I'd say probably three or four, baby was born on our bathroom floor, delivered by his Daddy. He still got to tell me that it was a boy and I pulled him between legs and wrapped him up. Relived to hear him crying.

We stayed like this for about ten minutes until the paramedics arrived who then checked us both over the quickly and got us to hospital.

As it had been more than an hour since the birth I agreed to the injection and delivered the placenta. I had a second degree tear as they think he arrived facing the wrong way but I didn't feel that at the time. So I was stitched up whilst we had our first feed and some more skin on skin time.

We were then transferred to a ward and the whole thing was over in the blink of an eye!

It definitely didn't go to plan and people I speak to about it try and label it as a traumatic birth but I can honestly say it was a positive one. I avoided the constant monitoring and was so relaxed and in control of my birth and my environment that he came super fast! It was intense but with the breathing and other techniques it was completely manageable. My body really did take over and I was just in the zone.

Thank you for a great course. I don't think I could have birthed at home in the same situation without it. I definitely would have panicked and adrenaline would have taken over.