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Vikki Slade says that her home birth could have been stressful and frightening but due to her midwife it was transformed and she has spent the last 2 years promoting home birth to anyone who will listen!
After
my first daughter was born in hospital and was straightforward I was told
about home birth and committed to this for my next child. During my pregnancy
I was looked after by a team through Poole hospital and came to know Esther
Andrious really well. She seemed to really care about our family and was
really positive about the benefit of home birth to mother and child.
When the time came she did all her visits at my home, making life much easier as I had a 2year old child.
I was overdue and concerned about having to be induced and being forced to hospital when she announced she was going on holiday and may not be there. I was determined she would be my midwife and so she agreed to do a sweep...lo and behold 12 hours later I was in labour and she was on her way.
She helped my husband prepare our bedroom and allowed him to take centre stage, she supported us both - and my mum who was present - and blended into the background allowing us to enjoy the experience.
My labour stopped and there was talk of an ambulance transfer to hospital by the other midwife present but Esther stopped my panic and simply called for my mum to make some more tea!
My daughter was born a couple of hours later and she was quick to call in my two year old within minutes to meet her sister while she attended to her equipment in the background. Within half an hour of delivery, she had baby and me in the bath and on return to the bedroom you would not have known I had just delivered a baby. She left us within an hour but returned that afternoon to see how we were.
When
I found myself pregnant a few months later I asked for her again to be
told she no longer worked for the practice - she had gone part time and
was in a different team. I tracked her down and told her I did not want
to do it without her and, like an angel, she agreed to be my midwife...throughout
my pregnancy she was with me, and had remembered my history as if no time
had passed.
Unfortunately she was away when I delivered a few days earlier than planned and it turned out my husband did the honours, having been trained so well!
Within days Esther was at the door for a visit and we still see her now. She pops in to say hello when she is passing and is a really great advert for midwives, calming, mature honest and patient. The home birth could have been frightening and stressful but with Esther I was transformed and have spent the last 2 years promoting home births to anyone who will listen!
Midwife Caroline Flint comments on Vikki's birth:
How lovely that Vikki lives in an area where it is not difficult to obtain a birth at home. After the birth of her first baby in hospital she was told about home birth - how many women does this happen to? Often it has to be a determined fight to get a home birth despite the evidence which shows that home birth is a perfectly safe option for women with no medical problems.
Her affection for her midwife Esther shines through and vice versa. The relationship built up between a mother and her midwife or midwives is very special and long lasting. Midwives are involved in such an intimate time of our lives that they have a special place in women's hearts, and because it is such a magical experience for the midwives involved they have a special place in their hearts for the women they have got to know.
Vikki says that Esther seemed to really care about her family and was really positive about the benefit of home birth to mother and child. Esther also concentrated on keeping everything normal and ordinary and unfrightening - like asking for another cup of tea when things were beginning to get a bit fraught .
Then for the third birth - Esther puts herself out in order to be there but Vikki goes into labour early whilst Esther is on holiday, however this time, Vikki's husband is able to do the honours whilst waiting for the midwives to arrive - he has seen before that birth is a natural and normal process and the way to deal with it is as Esther was - calm, mature, honest and patient, so for him this experience is handled in a calm and comforting way - a topic of conversation amongst his work mates for months I expect!
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