27/07/2025
BM Positive Birth Stories: Vicki & Rob!
“A little backstory on how I came to know Nadia & Maria… I was extremely fortunate to have Maria as my midwife for the birth of my daughter in 2020 at LWH. She was a fantastic support and helped me achieve a really positive birth. Maria also introduced me to Frankincense during the transition phase of labour, something I remember vividly.
This time, I planned a homebirth and was referred to the LW Homebirth Team, where I was assigned a lovely midwife called Sarah. I later discovered Maria and Nadia had set up Beyond Midwives, and it was so lovely to reconnect with Maria and meet Nadia at a baby fayre.
At exactly 40 weeks, my waters broke. No surges yet, so I called the on-call midwife Paula who gave me tips to get oxytocin flowing. We inflated the pool and put on a film. Soon after, I felt mild cramps and called Michelle. She was with another mum and advised us to prepare for MLU just in case. By 10:30pm, surges intensified. I used my birth ball, TENS machine and tracked them on an app. Soon I was in established labour. My auntie (also a midwife) came to look after our daughter. Thankfully, Michelle called back to say she could now come. When my auntie arrived, I was involuntarily pushing. We filled the pool and shortly after, Michelle arrived. With a little Frankincense (my favourite) and gas and air, our beautiful boy Marley was born in the water, 8lb 9oz! I lifted him to my chest for skin-to-skin and his first feed. We delayed cord clamping and had a physiological third stage. I had a small second-degree tear which Michelle sutured at home. Then I had tea and toast and climbed into bed. Our daughter Frankie slept through the whole thing and came down to meet her baby brother a few hours later.
It was the most empowering experience of my life. I would absolutely recommend a home birth to anyone considering it. I feel so honoured and grateful, especially to Maria and Nadia for their incredible support and knowledge.”
Thank you so much for sharing your story, it was so lovely to see you again and to be able to support you during first and second baby! 🥰
