Fay’s Birth Story

For my first labour I had a really positive experience (despite it being the start of covid!).

I’d done an antenatal course which covered some hypnobirthing and done quite a bit of research on being induced etc so I knew I didn’t really want that. I very much focussed on breathing techniques during the labour and thoughts of ‘your body can do this’, ‘I was made to do this’ and ‘I trust myself’.

I had a plan I wanted and then some non-negotiable preferences in case I couldn’t have my exact plan. So my plan was a water birth, but if I didn’t have a water birth I knew I’d want to opt for an epidural rather than pethidine as I didn’t want to risk feeling woozy for example. So I had a clear idea of what I would be agreeable to and what I really didn’t want.

My waters broke at about 6pm the day after my due date. I went down for checking and then was sent home – I didn’t start with contractions until the early hours and phoned the Maternity Assessment ward at about 5am, after I’d had a bit of sleep, had a bath and watched Harry Potter! My contractions were every 3 minutes at that point.

When I arrived the hospital was really quiet, and after being assessed I was 4cm dilated so my husband could join me and we were given a room in the lotus suite – I had my heart set on a water birth. I got into the bath at about 7am and the midwives were amazing – they totally trusted my instinct and I didn’t find the birth invasive at all. They checked on baby’s heart rate every now and then but let me take things at my own pace. Once I was ready to push they allowed me to, and with gas and air Alfie was born into the water at 9.16am. I pulled him up onto my chest myself and felt totally in control of the whole labour.

Fay now runs the Leeds branch of Daisy First Aid and teaches on all of the full antenatal courses with Birth Journeys. Infant first aid is a vital skill to help you feel more confident as a new parent.