"Very grateful to my midwives for the safety they provided me"

I had a home birth with NHS home birth team midwives in Edinburgh. I was very happy with how it went and so impressed by the delivering midwives' skill and care. The midwives were Carrie and Oddny.

Beforehand, I was a bit worried giving birth to my first child far from my family, and in a culture that normalizes hospital births. But I knew I had chosen a home birth for well-informed reasons, having read extensively about the hormonal conditions of a straightforward physiological birth and decided that they would be best for me at home.

During labour I felt physically intense but not in pain, and my bigger concern was more in my self-belief and wanting to know if things would go well. Carrie and Oddny kept a calm and clear tone which was what I needed to successfully deliver my baby. The only other key support I had was the emotional support of my husband. I didn't use any gas and air, pool, or TENS machine--none of it appealed to me at the time, as my body felt like it was doing the right things and I wanted to feel it.

The midwives respected my written birth preferences and at an appropriate moment asked me if I would agree to adjust them to help make a better decision about the rest of the care. I appreciated their thoughtfulness and agreed.

As our baby arrived, I had a second degree tear, and Carrie was able to suture this quickly. There were no issues in the healing of the stitches. Our baby was quickly assessed for any issues and we knew every precaution was taken.

I want to register my wonderful experience  because the home birth team deserves to be better staffed and resourced -- they accomplished so much at such a low price for the NHS, compared to me taking up a hospital room. The end result was an amazing memory and a beautiful start to life as a family. When so many women are reporting birth trauma, I am very grateful to my midwives for the safety they provided to me and I hope more families can experience this feeling. Thank you!