I have now one child and my partner David and I were determined to have him at home. Our community midwives agreed to come to our house and to do a water birth.

I understood that birthing was very intimate, that the first impression of a baby about the world was important. After having spent 9 months in the most comfortable and secure place, the womb, the transition should be made as smooth as possible.

The idea of the hospital smells, the neon lights and the technical people around wasn’t attractive for the least.

We would have our baby at home. Also I wasn’t too young (40) and I was 3 weeks overdue and still I was confident and determined. I prepared myself with reading positive stories. I knew the possible complications but I mostly focus on the naturalness of it all. I loved to read the birth stories from the book “spiritual midwives”, it really gave me confidence.

At the time of the first contractions, a couple of midwives were ill and we have been told to come to the hospital. We said no and asked the hospital manager to find us another midwife. After some talking, they agreed but the contractions stopped. The day after the contractions began again and we called the midwives again. They told us the same story but this time they didn’t want to call around and find us another midwife.

David didn’t want to talk his way through again feeling more resistance from them this time. He then called a natural midwife with whom we had contact before on the phone. She arrived 2 hours later as she was living 2 hours away.

I am very happy that it all went that way as the natural midwife was really hands off and very “natural”. She also let us deliver the baby in the water (the community midwives said they wanted the actual delivery to happen outside the water).

We were together David and I to give birth to our baby. David received our baby in his hands in the water and handed it to me.

I find the setting of my own house, the quietness, the lighting and familiarity so important and I would not do it otherwise except of course in case of complications.