"I felt supported, cared for, respected and safe"

With all three of my previous births I had liked the idea of home birth but never really knew it was an option. When I fell pregnant with a little surprise fourth, home birth was offered to me as a great option and I decided to go for it. It was now or never!

The care I received from the team was amazing. From the first visit right up until I have birth I felt supported, cared for, respected and safe.

During my pregnancy I was given the chance to talk through the details of my birth plan with midwife Naomi. I felt heard and seen. She was so knowledgeable and gave me loads of great tips to use during pregnancy and labour to ease pain or discomfort. I was even offered acupuncture to ease hip pain I was having at the time. As my due date approached, I felt encouraged to labour in a way that felt right for me and encouraged to have the birth I really wanted.

When I went into labour, Naomi and Karen were with me the whole day. They encouraged me to trust my body and showed patience and calmness when I started to panic that things weren't going to plan. I trusted them and felt safe and encouraged to trust my own body. Because of their encouragement I eventually got the birth I had hoped for at the end of a long day! For the first time I felt empowered enough to catch my baby boy as he was born peacefully in the water. Both midwives supported my choice to have my 3 older children present at the water birth and included them in the most special ways. They all had an important role to play and it was such a special experience for them all.

Because of this amazing team my fourth birth is a memory I will always treasure. My little family was left in awe at the wonder of birth. They have appreciation of how amazing a woman's body is and my girls don't see birth as something to fear.

Not only was the care we received on the day amazing, but Naomi surprised us by popping in to see us a few months later when she was in the area. Our little boy got to properly meet the wonderful lady that had helped bring him into this world which was such a lovely experience.

Since giving birth I've been invited along to home birth events and socials where I've had the opportunity to meet other local mums who have or are having a home birth. It's such a lovely supportive community. If you're thinking about home birth I can't recommend it enough. Go for it!