I was woken by the sudden gush of fluid as my waters broke. It was 2:46am – the time that Jessica had died. It felt significant that they had broken at this time; a reminder that Jessica was still with us somehow. Sophie was asleep at the bottom end of our bed but hubby’s side… Read More
The term “natural caesarean” seems like an oxymoron – after all, the standard environment for this kind of birth – an operating theatre, with surgical team in sterile scrubs and baby being removed from its mother’s womb via an abdominal incision before being taken to a rescuscitaire to be checked over and often then weighed… Read More
There’s been a lot of comments and activity in my social media feeds over the last couple of days about the new NICE guidelines on intrapartum care (care during the birth of a baby) which have been reported as home birth being ‘best’ for many mothers. The NICE guidelines advising women that giving birth at… Read More
I had hoped for a home waterbirth when I was expecting my first daughter, Jessica, in 2011 but when she was diagnosed antenatally with a complex heart condition, our plans changed and I chose to birth her in hospital as she needed heart surgery very soon after birth. Although Jessica’s birth (with the help of… Read More
This is one of my favourite photos ever. It captures the moment when Jessica met baby Sophie for the very first time. Unfortunately as the room was fairly dim and Jessica is quite a wrigglebottom, she is a bit blurred in the shot. I love the photo in spite of this though. Using black… Read More