Once the extreme tiredness and constant nausea had stopped I loved every moment of being pregnant. I had always looked forward to having children. I had also always wanted to experience a natural, calm birth, preferably at home. When I read about Hypnobirthing I asked my brother-in-law about it, as his PhD research was about hypnosis and pain. I was encouraged and found the course invaluable. The fact that our trainers both came from medical backgrounds, including midwifery, meant we had all our questions answered at the time, and doing the course as a couple meant that we both knew what we were aiming for and how we were going to approach the birth. We then went home and practiced daily.

Having put so much effort into preparing for a natural home-birth we were concerned by the fact that there are not enough midwives on call in the area if 2 women go into labour at the same time - as happened to a friend of ours last year. (This lead to her going to hospital, losing her rhythm and the birthing of her daughter not being the experience it might have been). My midwife was very open-minded towards the Hypnobirthing techniques but we had reason to believe that not all the midwives in our area would be, and not knowing who would attend the birth loomed in our minds. So when the opportunity arose to have an independent midwife we jumped at it.

On first meeting Nicky and Mandy, Ben and I both knew that we would be in good hands and that they understood exactly the way in which we wanted to approach the birth. By this time I was quite far on in my pregnancy and still blooming. We spent time getting to know Nicky and Mandy, and them us. We asked all sorts of questions and had fun playing with Molly the Dolly and her array of nappies. I carried on working (part-time) until I was in my 37th week and stayed active, walking the dog, practicing yoga and of course the Hypnobirthing techniques.

My due date came and went, and I still couldn't imagine becoming a mother. Although by this time I did quite want to see our baby and just be sure she was all alright, I was happy thinking that if she needed to grow a little more then that was fine. Plus I always felt I would miss my bump. I had of course slowed down by this time but I was still loving being pregnant and spending time with Ben in the knowledge that it would not be just the two of us for much longer. Then a week later the magic day arrived, although it took all morning for me to be completely convinced that I wasn't just having those Braxton Hicks that everyone talks about.

Having an understanding of the birthing process and a positive approach to it, I did not take too much notice of the surges at the beginning. Although I did not want to take the dog for a walk, I also did not know if I should disturb Ben's PhD writing. I felt at ease and confident that my body knew what to do and as a result was able to fully relax between surges. This I think was vital to conserving my energy and strength but also to coping emotionally and breathing correctly.

After a light lunch, which duly came back up again and as the surges gained intensity I used a hypnosis script, which I had practiced many times. Then when I felt I wanted Nicky and Mandy to come we decided to fill the birthing pool. It was like a lovely hot bath when I got in; really soothing. I did get too hot a little later and we had to cool the pool down to the recommended 37 degrees. Although we did not use a full script, Ben prompted me to relax my mind and body using the technique. I realised then that the preparation before the birth was the key to effortlessly benefiting from the relaxation prompts having some experience and memory of the state desired. I also drank a hot drink of plum concentrate and honey, full of iron and energy that helped to revive my strength, during the birthing.

I found that I naturally went into my own private space and being vocal really helped me. For me, making noises especially helped my breathing. Light touch massage of my back and stronger massaging of my head when the surges were reaching their peaks was also important for me at times. Ben was fantastic support to me, and Nicky and Mandy were really reassuring. They allowed us to keep our privacy and rhythm, and knew when their professional support was also really helpful, to me and to Ben.

I remained in the pool to birth our little miracle, just before 8pm, and after for the third stage of labour. Even though Nicky and Mandy must have seen 100's of babies be born they were as excited as us and always patient, allowing us and nature to take its course. Being at home was the best place for me, I felt comfortable and safe. Having Nicky and Mandy visiting for the following 4 weeks was reassuring and just nice to see them, especially as we had shared such a special occasion with them. Although we were all absolutely fine, we did miss them afterwards, but have not lost contact.

We have great respect for Nicky and Mandy as skilled professionals, as well as warm, fun, friendly people. We realise how fortunate we were to be able to bring our daughter into this world in such a calm and natural way, and knowing that Nicky and Mandy helped us hugely to achieve this we always highly recommend them.

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