Alyssa’s Birth Story
After an unplanned hospital birth with my first, I was determined to finally have my home birth. What I didn’t expect was that it would turn into an unplanned free birth—just my partner and me, bringing our baby into the world together.
This pregnancy was low risk, and we got the all clear for a home water birth. By forty weeks and one day, the midwives were encouraging sweeps and induction, but I was determined to let things happen naturally. And to my relief, they did—contractions started around 5 AM, and we spent the day preparing for our baby’s arrival.
By 11 PM, contractions had become intense and consistent, so my partner called the hospital. That’s when we got the news that no midwives would likely be available for our home birth, and I might have to transfer to the hospital. I was devastated but stayed hopeful. Thankfully, the team acted quickly and arranged for midwives to come out. By this time, it was past midnight, and labour was in full swing. I had been using my TENS machine and breathing techniques from a birth preparation course , and I could feel that we were close. When we called the midwives again, they said they were 30 minutes away. But just five minutes later, my body had other plans.
Suddenly, contractions became unbearable, and I knew it was time. I climbed into the birth pool, and within two minutes, everything happened—my waters broke, she crowned immediately, and with one mighty push and a scream, she was here.
Two pushes. Two minutes. Completely natural.
We finally got our uninterrupted golden hour—just the three of us, skin to skin, soaking in every bit of that oxytocin filled moment. About 30 minutes later, the midwives arrived, shocked to find our baby already earthside, feeding, alert, and completely content. They even joked that the pool didn’t look like a birth had just happened.
After giving us more time to soak it all in, they did their checks, and I even delivered the placenta on my sofa . We decided to leave the cord attached for around five hours, finally cutting it just before the midwives left. The placenta is now safely in our freezer, waiting to be planted as a memory.
The midwives stayed for a few hours before leaving us to settle into our new life as a family of four. It was the most empowering, unforgettable experience.
Just me, my partner, and our baby