When El gave birth to her first baby, she felt like a passenger, unprepared, overwhelmed, and swept along by a system that left her feeling powerless. So when she became pregnant again, she knew she wanted a completely different experience. One rooted in calm, confidence, and choice. In this beautiful story, E shares how she prepared for a home birth in Northumberland, trusted her body, and welcomed her baby in the most empowering way.
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Four years ago, I gave birth to my first baby with no preparation. No classes, no plan, just the hope that everything would work out on the day. But it didn’t. That birth left me feeling powerless, overwhelmed by interventions, and completely disconnected from the experience. So when I found out I was pregnant again, I made myself a promise. This time would be different.
I threw myself into preparation. I signed up for a hypnobirthing course, devoured every positive birth story I could find, and practiced daily. I wrote a detailed birth plan and committed to a home birth. I wasn’t leaving anything to chance. I was stepping into my power.
As my due date came and went, I had a few false starts. Those teasing evening surges that fizzled out by morning. So when I woke up at 4am on day 40 plus 5 with familiar sensations, I didn’t get my hopes up. But by 6:30am, the surges were steady, and I turned to my husband and said, “Don’t panic, but I think we’ll be meeting our baby today.” He responded in the most non panicky way possible by hoovering, tidying, and getting our son ready for nursery.
Once our son was packed off and the house was finally quiet, I lit my aromatherapy candles, popped in my earbuds, and moved between the yoga ball and garden strolls while my husband prepped the birth pool. I was so relaxed, I still wasn’t entirely convinced I was in labour. Around midday, the surges began to intensify. My mother in law picked up our son, and I called the midwives, still thinking they had plenty of time. When the Hillcrest midwives arrived around 2pm, I agreed to a vaginal examination, even though I’d originally said I didn’t want one, and discovered I was already 5cm dilated.
Meanwhile, my husband was boiling pans of water and stoking the fire to get the birth pool ready in our cosy Northumberland living room. At 3pm, I sank into the warm water and felt instant relief. I breathed through my surges, sipped water, nibbled gummy bears, and even chatted between waves. The midwives sat quietly in the corner, giving me space and trust.
Then, at 3:45pm, transition hit. One long, intense surge had me reaching for my husband’s hand. One of the midwives grabbed my phone and started snapping photos, hundreds of them, capturing every raw, powerful moment. I shifted to my knees, leaning over the side of the pool. Suddenly, I felt my baby’s head descend. Not gracefully, but with a surprising urgency. It literally felt like she fell out of my womb and into my vagina.
With the next surge, my body took over. One push brought the head. The next, her body. I caught her with my own hands and lifted her to my chest, stunned and euphoric. We stayed in the pool, skin to skin, soaking in the golden hour. My son came in to meet his baby sister and even climbed into the pool for cuddles and kisses. Once the cord turned white, the midwife cut it, and I moved to the sofa where she latched on like a pro.
The placenta followed naturally, and the midwives showed me all its fascinating details. If you get the chance to look at yours, do. They’re incredible. I didn’t need any stitches, just a tiny graze. The midwives had a cuppa, filled in their notes, and left. They’d only been with us for three hours.
And then, the cherry on top. While I was getting cleaned up, my son and mother in law baked a Victoria sponge. My first post birth bite? A thousand times better than the cold slice of toast you get in hospital.
This birth wasn’t just different. It was healing. It gave me back my power. It gave my husband a sense of purpose. And it gave our daughter the gentlest, most loving welcome into the world. I felt like I was back in touch with a wild version of myself.
If you’re on the fence about home birth, especially in Northumberland, I really cannot recommend it enough.