The Birth of Baby Sutton

A home birth story written by Sarah

When I fell pregnant with my first baby, I was straight away leaning towards a Homebirth. I chose Rata Midwives and as things went on, I became confident that Homebirth was for me. In the end, after a long and very mobile labour at home (My poor husband walked back and forth around our bed with me for 8 hours straight) we found out that my beautiful boy thought birth was more like a waterslide and was trying to come out foot first. This birth ended up as a transfer and after 56 hours from start to birth, my Louie was born via cesarean.

3 years later I fell pregnant again. Having had a birth experience already, I knew right away that I would want to labour at home. Despite knowing in my heart that I wanted to be at home, I was a little nervous now being someone with a birth label of trying for a VBAC. My midwife was amazing and I truly felt that she believed in me. Her confidence that I would be at home for this birth was so helpful when I had wobbles or fears.

I went into Labour around 1:30am and managed to sleep between contractions for a couple of hours. Once I couldn't sleep, I climbed out of bed and set myself up in the lounge with the fire on and my pillow on the couch to lean on. I wasn't up long before my husband came out to check on me. Around 5am my husband started to set up the pool and soon my 3 year old, Louie, woke and wanted to come and help too. I was going between all fours, kneeling while leaning on the couch and on the toilet while my boys set up and filled the pool for me. I vomited a few times and my labour felt like my body was working hard already.

Although we had talked a lot about it beforehand, Louie said he was a little worried seeing me in labour. We reassured him and he really seemed to accept that it was a good thing and that I was ok. He said to me "Mum, I love you even when you're in labour."

About 7:30am I was feeling like I was needing my husband to be able to focus on supporting me so Louie got picked up to spend sometime with his grandparents. I had the tens machine on and my husband kneeling with me. After a couple of hours we asked the midwife to come.

An hour after the midwives came they asked me if I wanted to get into the pool. The water felt so lovely to climb into. Really soon my contractions changed to pushes and I felt like my body was just getting the job done without any conscious effort from me. I was in the pool for about an hour and just before lunchtime, I pushed out my beautiful new baby boy, Sutton. It was amazing reaching into the water and lifting him up onto my chest myself. I couldn't believe it. I had had an HBAC (Home Birth After Cesarean) just as I had hoped and I was holding my wee boy, Sutton, in my own lounge.

I had a moment in the pool where I felt so 'held' by my care team. Holding onto my husband with my two midwives and student midwife surrounding the pool just holding my space. I felt so empowered. My whole birth felt like my own. Supported but not directed.

Soon I was on the couch eating toast and breastfeeding. Louie came home and we spent the afternoon as a new family of 4.

I want to say a huge thank you to midwives in general for the work you do. And in particular, a huge thank you to my midwives from both births, Kirsten Read, Candice Milner, Sheena Ross and Mihirangi. What an amazing job you do to give up so much of your lives to help others with such an important part of theirs.