"You need to give birth here!"

From the moment my husband and I took the tour of the CMU (one of the few places allowing you to do so during COVID), I knew this was where I wanted to bring our first child into the world. They absolutely spoke my language with regards to my wishes to have as undisturbed and natural birth as possible - I had been preparing for a mindful hypnobirth and so it was a big weight off my mind that I wouldn't have to explain all the things I wanted (optimal cord clamping, skin to skin, etc...) that perhaps I would have had to do had I gone somewhere more clinical and getting to have our daughter in the birthing pool was the magical cherry on top of the cake. Knowing that the team were on board with all of my wishes meant I could truly focus on negotiating the path of our daughter's arrival, safe in the knowledge that the team would complement my behaviour to help me stay in the zone and so I never once panicked that the intensity of the feelings would get too much for me - we all worked together to birth my daughter safely and calmly (no screaming required! ). The quality of care that I received from the team was absolutely exemplary and I have to give them a shout out by name so that if you are lucky enough to get any one of them, you can rest assured you'll be in extremely safe hands - Lisa, Kenny, Nicola, Toni, Maggie & Mhairi. I wouldn't hesitate to go back to the CMU if/when we decide to follow up #1 with a sibling! P. S. Best buttered toast ever! !