18/03/2026
🩵👣Hannah's Story🩵👣
'I had planned a homebirth with my wonderful dedicated midwife, Joy, as a first-time mum. I felt safe, prepared, and truly cared for every step of the way. But as birth so often reminds us, things don’t always go to plan.
At my 40-week growth scan, there was a slight decline in some of baby’s measurements, and suddenly everything shifted. I was admitted to triage for monitoring, with the possibility of induction. Just two days earlier, on Friday, Joy had done a sweep and I was already 1cm dilated. By Saturday morning, I was 2cm, and things felt promising — enough for the team to agree I could avoid induction and instead have my waters broken.
Then came the waiting. It was an incredibly busy weekend on the delivery suite, and hours passed without being able to move things forward. It was frustrating and emotional, sitting in limbo when all I wanted was to meet my baby.
On Sunday morning — Mothering Sunday — Joy walked in like absolute magic. Calm, reassuring, and completely in my corner, she somehow managed to secure me a room and a midwife, Cassie, to support my birth. Even though she had her own homebirth to attend, she made sure I was safe, supported, and ready. She told me she hoped to be back later for the arrival of our baby boy… but he had other plans.
At 2pm, my waters were broken. By 4pm, I was on the oxytocin drip — and from that moment, everything intensified so quickly. Labour took hold in a powerful, unstoppable way. And then, just a few short hours later, at 6:35pm, our beautiful son, Finley James Lennon, arrived — fast, fierce, and perfect. A Mothering Sunday we will never forget.
Joy came to see me afterwards, having just finished another homebirth, and her presence brought everything full circle.
Although my journey didn’t unfold in the way I had originally hoped, I cannot put into words how grateful I am for Joy. The continuity of care she provided was truly exceptional. She made me feel seen, heard, and empowered throughout — even when plans changed. Because of her, my birth still felt like mine.'
*Story continued in comments*
