Erin’s Unassisted Homebirth.

Throughout my pregnancy I had imagined that I would labour for days, that baby would be weeks late and that I would have the birthpool for pain relief… None of that happened, of course!

Our first baby arrived earthside on her EDD after a quick and intense labour, where I was labouring in the shower for pain relief whilst my sister was busily filling the pool and contacting my midwives, my doula and our Mum in New Zealand. Hubby was in the shower with me, kneeling so I could lean on him and reminding me to breathe through contractions, and Doula Lou arrived soon after, providing reassurance and the excellent idea of leaning on the exercise ball! I caught our daughter as she was born in the shower, and hubby quickly covered her with his shirt to keep her warm. 

The next few hours saw us in bed as a family of three, where our birth team supported us with her first breastfeed and helped me with a stubborn placenta. Moderate blood loss was expertly managed at home by our midwives, Claire and Louise, and I was grateful to enjoy our little newborn bubble from the comfort of our bed after our incredible homebirth.

Photography by Doula Lou.