I had a straightforward pregnancy and managed to stay active throughout… until I caught covid in week 38! After a stressful ten days in bed, worrying I wouldn’t have the strength for the birth and dealing with some weird covid mind games, I finally felt better and spent the morning cooking and cleaning. When I finally sat down at 2pm, I felt a few cramps, but nothing too intense. I thought they were probably due to having been on my feet all morning, so I ignored them. They continued throughout the afternoon, but this was my first baby, and I knew false labour was common. I went for a walk in the park at about 6pm then made dinner. The cramps were getting a bit more intense by this stage, but my partner Allan and I still spent dinner discussing our plans for the weekend as if the baby wasn’t on her way.

Then, all of a sudden, while I was just sitting on the sofa, my waters broke with a ‘pop’ that I wasn’t sure whether I’d heard or felt, but it was completely unmistakable. The waters were clear, so I messaged the midwife who told me to stay put and have a shower. Everything intensified quite quickly from that point on. I made a half-hearted attempt to make myself more comfortable on the birthing ball and on all fours, then in the shower, but the contractions were getting stronger and weren’t easy to track – they all seemed to blend into one. Allan phoned the midwife back and told her things had stepped up a notch. She asked to speak to me, and although I don’t think she was entirely convinced I had progressed enough to make my way to the hospital, at some point very soon after I told Allan we were going, whatever the midwife thought. He packed up the car, and off we went. It was about 11pm.

We had chosen a natural birth centre located inside a hospital. Unfortunately, as my waters had broken, hospital policy meant I had to go straight to A&E (without my partner: hospital policy!) so the baby could be monitored. Our midwife hadn’t yet arrived, and the staff were not very sympathetic, asking for all sorts of paperwork and hustling me onto my back so the monitors could be connected. This was the worst part of the whole experience (So uncomfortable! So many bright lights! So many unfriendly strangers!), and was stressful for Allan as he just had to sit upstairs waiting for me, mystified as to why he couldn’t join me, and worried he’d miss the whole thing. Thankfully, our midwife arrived soon after and checked how dilated I was (5cm, but the baby’s head was very low, so she said the labour would be fast).

We left A&E and the three of us headed to the birth centre. The midwife parked me in the shower while she filled the bath. In retrospect this was probably the most intense part (transition?), but I still felt in control, though I really disliked the shower – the running water was overwhelming. I hung onto a towel rail at head height instead (very upright, forward and open, in retrospect, though I did end up with a bruise on my forehead!). Eventually the bath was ready, and it was wonderful. So relaxing and supportive. By this point there were fairly long gaps between the contractions, so I stayed there for a while, with my partner offering me water through a straw, and sweets. We tried some gas and air, but it didn’t do a thing for me. I changed position at one point, moving onto my hands and knees, to try and keep things moving.

Patricia the midwife was monitoring the baby’s heart rate with wireless monitors while I was in the bath, and she was either having trouble getting a good reading, or finding that the heart rate was all over the place – sometimes very low, sometimes very high. I felt calm and wasn’t worried about the baby at all, but Patricia clearly was as she eventually asked me to get out so she could monitor her properly. I leant over the bed for a while, which was probably a good idea as I could swing my hips around a bit. Patricia placed a cannula to hydrate me and hopefully help the baby, as the monitors were still showing a fluctuating heartbeat.

At some point I asked to try the birthing stool. This was great, as I could pull on long drapes hanging from the ceiling during each contraction. Patricia started asking me to push at the peak of the contractions, and showed my partner the baby’s head. She was clearly close to arriving, as suddenly there were more people in the room – a male doctor, and a female paediatrician. They weren’t introduced to us, and I didn’t appreciate this doctor standing in front of me like he was looking at a painting in a gallery, but I decided not to think too much about it this late in the game. At some point during the next contraction Patricia asked me to push really hard, and… Rosie was born at 2:20 am! The head and the whole body, all at once, and she cried out immediately. Allan said she looked like a starfish, when all her limbs sprang open. Patricia caught her, and had to say to me ‘Here’s your baby! Take her!’ because I was still hanging onto the cotton drapes for dear life with my eyes screwed tight shut.

Allan cut the cord while we were still sitting on the stool, then we got onto the bed. Patricia and the doctor worked on getting a blood sample from the cord, and the paediatrician checked her while she was in my arms. I birthed the placenta physiologically soon afterwards. I was a bit worried about that part, but it was quick and painless. The doctor got to work on stitching up a couple of small second-degree tears, nothing terrible (but not enjoyable – I couldn’t wait for him to be done and get out of there). Allan and I just admired our baby while all this was happening. She was very calm yet alert, with beautiful soft skin and wide-open eyes. I thought she’d fall asleep, but she stayed awake for hours, apparently content in our company!

In all, it was a rich, magical experience. I did a lot of research and preparation before the birth, whether that meant reading, listening to podcasts, doing pregnancy yoga and listening to the hypnobirthing tracks, and I’m so glad I did. I felt in control throughout, and had complete confidence in my body. And now I have a wonderful birth story to tell anyone who’ll listen!