Clare's story, Basingstoke - first daughter, 41 weeks gestation

"I woke up at 6ish on a Sunday morning to mild but regular contractions. Got up and went into the spare room onto the PC. Hubby surfaced about 8ish, came looking for me and I greeted him with, "I've been having contrations for 2 hours". Probably the wrong thing to say as he is DS1's stepdad and this was his first labour experience. He immediately started panicing, getting dressed and grabbing the hospital bag, asking me how I was every 10 seconds, until it dawned on him I wasn't screaming, I wasn't moving and I wasn't even dressed! He stopped, slowed down and I told him it's not time yet, but either later today or early tomorrow I expect we'll be meeting baby! I had mild but regular contractions all day and nothing changed, went into maternity about 8pm to check progress, came home and took 2 paracetamol and went to bed. Woke up at 12.30am ish in agony, so bad I could hardly get out of bed and get dressed. Hubby was downstairs watching TV and DS1 was at grandmas for the night just in  case! He took one look at my face and resumed his earlier panicing! Rang labour ward to say we were coming back. Three hours of very intense pain later DD arrived, shocked at her arrival she took longer to start breathing than her older brother and I went to pieces as she was born the day before my best friend's angel baby's 1st anniversary. When she took that first wonderful breath I was shaking so much I couldn't hold her. I was on all fours and couldn't support myself. It worked out for the best though as hubby, who was petrified of holding newborns, saw I wasn't capable, and grabbed her! No messing with the time this time around, the midwife had it exactly!

She was 8lb 12.5oz, 03.49 am, 41wks gestation and a gas and air only baby."

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Melissa's story, Darlington - baby number 2, home birth

"2nd baby - 14/01/05 - Home Birth

I knew straight away that I wanted our 2nd baby at home.

This time, we were settled in our own home and since being pleasantly surprised by my 1st birth, knew it was the right thing to do for our little family. Gas and air bottles were delivered and I picked up a prescription of Pethidine to keep in the fridge in case I needed it.

So, yet another normal, problem free pregnancy saw me to my due date of Thursday 13th January.

I remember sitting down that night and watching Question Time - feeling my first contraction during shouting at the TV! Didn't think anything of it and just like the 1st baby, went to bed for a sleep.

Didn't wake at all through the night, woke normally at breakfast time and felt contractions were coming quite close together. Called the midwife quite early who came out to the house and examined me, I wasn't quite as far along as I first thought so she left again and told us to call her once they got a bit closer together and longer.

In the meantime, my husband took our now 4 1/2 year old Alex to nursery and my Mum came over to the house.

I sat on my big, bouncy birth ball in my lounge and watched TV - just rocking back and forth through contractions and chatting to my Mum in between them.

By 12pm, husband had picked up Alex from nursery and contractions were quite close and long so midwife came back and brought 2nd midwife who just happened to be an old childhood friend of my husband, aswell as a student midwife!

The next time they examined me I was 8cm and felt like I need to be on my bed. As I did so, the midwives had to bully me into going for a wee as it seemed to preventing me from getting to 10cm! So I went and had a wee, when I came back they broke my waters and bang! I was 10cm!

Ready to push I felt like trying a bit of the gas and air again, just for fun! It was great but only had a couple of mouthfuls before baby's head was out.

All the while, in my room, were the 3 midwives, my husband, my Mum and my little boy (he was lying on the bed next to me).

At 3pm and after just a few pushes, our little girl Maisie Natasja was born, weighing a whopping 9lb 6oz! My son was the 1st to see her head (apart from midwives) and he was just the proudest big brother ever!

Again, no stitches, no tears, nothing - simple, straightforward, relaxed birth.

Now I sit here on my due date with baby number 3 - I hope that this next home birth is just as nice and easy - it better be as I haven't even bothered ordering the Pethidine this time!"

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Melissa's story, Darlington - relaxed birth with pool and gas and air

"1st baby - 18/09/00 - Hospital

I was just 20, had been with my boyfriend (now husband) for just 9 months when we discovered I was pregnant.

Due on the 21st September (our respective Grandmother's birthdays!) we moved out of our 1 bed rented flat on the 16th September and into my Mother in Laws until the contract was signed on the 3 bed house we had bought.

Clearly, moving house shifted things and the following day, whilst having Sunday lunch at my boyfriend's Aunt's, I felt my first contractions. I only know now, that's what they were, at the time I just thought it was a bit of stomach ache.

We went to bed that night, at this point I thought that perhaps something was happening after I had terrible diahorrea.

Woke up in quite a bit of pain in the early hours and went downstairs to watch the rowing on the Olympics! At the time, we were in the middle of a fuel crisis and so getting hold of taxis to get us to hospital was somewhat of a challenge. Luckily, my boyfriend's uncle had some fuel in his car and took us through to the hospital at about breakfast time.

As soon as I got there, I went straight into the birth pool. I knew I wanted to try this but I also went in with an open mind and would've had any drug going had I needed it.

My Mum and my (then 17yr old) sister travelled the 20 miles to the hospital to be there as soon as possible.

I'd sayed in the pool as long as possible with no other pain relief but suddenly got the urge to be on dry land. I got out and onto the bed where I was examined - I have no idea how far along I was at this point but it was pretty close to 10cm. It was at this point, when I got the urge to push, that I felt I needed a bit of gas and air.

Didn't much grasp the breathing in and out with the gas and air but the mouthpiece was great to bite down on!

Apparently the pushing part took a fair while, and at 12:55pm - just a few hours after arriving, our little boy, Alexander Regan was born just as the clouds parted and the sun came out. He weighed a very healthy 8lb 11oz and had done no damage to my nether regions!

All in all, it was a very relaxed birth."

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Beth's story, Manchester - gas and air and the luxury of a birthing suite

"Well with Callum being on time, I expected Charley to be as well! However at 11 days late I felt ready to pop! Due to be induced at 9am on the 17th Nov and I woke about 5am with my first contraction! I decided to sleep and see when the next ones came and they were coming at every 9 minutes so I had a shower and got up and ready and woke DP and said we were going ealier to the hospital as in the shower they were becoming more frequent! Arrived at the hospital at 8am and was put on a monitor and when I was assessed about 10am I was shocked to be told I was already 3cm! It took 24 hours with Callum and a drip to get to 3cm! I had a TENS machine which really took the edge off all the way! I was all set for an epidural as I had one with Callum but he was a 34 hour labour but as I knew one of the midwives she mentioned I could go to the birthing suite and 2 other midwives recommended it! Not wanting to seem like a wimp I said I would consider it! They did my bloods to check my iron and I was secretly hoping I was high risk (i.e. low iron) so that I could head down for an epidural however I came back low risk and I knew I wanted it to be as pleasant as possible for DP as he wanted to go home for a sleep half way through labour with Callum! Went to the birthing suite, it was lovely as it was your own room with a bath and bed and you could use the kitchen for tea and coffee....I was nervous as hell!

Had a bath about 3pm as I wasn't progressing much then the lovely midwife came in and said if I wasn't progressing much in the next hour I could go down for an epidural!

"Yes" I thought, however I said " Could I not stay here?" (for the sake of DP as it was more comfortable! Hoping she said " no"). She then said yes... ooopssss! She said she would break my waters about 5pm and see what happened as the bath had stopped my contractions! 5pm came and I lay on the bed after another big show and she broke my waters, they gushed out like there was no tomorrow and I became scared again (you wouldn't have thought I have given birth before!).

Contractions started thick and fast, every 2 mins so I paced the room for an hour with my TENS machine on before the midwife came in and said I could then get in the birthing pool! (I was then 5cm!) God why didn't I have an epidural, wimp woman I was thinking!

Got in the pool at 6pm and I thought you could have Pethedine (but not in the pool) so in the pool I just had gas and air and the contractions were so bad I thought I was dying and towards the end I was crying (wimp woman again). The midwife said "I want you to have this baby by 9.30pm as I finish the shift". At 7pm I was like, "I want this baby now, not in another hour and a half!". She checked me, I was only 8cm! God I thought I was dying again! (Girls you will be so proud of yourselves for anyone just doing gas and air!) Midwife told me when I feel like I need a poo that's when I'm ready and to push, and to be honest I never got that feeling, the contractions got unbearable about 8pm so I pushed TWICE and he popped out! I stood up and unfortunately there was blood gushing out of me and the birth pool was red (I had ripped) so went to be stitched up after (that was actually worse than childbirth) but god, me!!!! I did it without an epidural I felt amazing afterwards!!!!"

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Amy and Joshua's story, Felixstowe - natural birth with Pethedine

"Saturday, 26th March 2005

I woke up at 6am with really bad cramp in my leg. I jumped out of bed to try and get rid of it and as I did my waters broke. Told Pete and he said go back to sleep (typical bloke) but 5 mins later a really strong contraction followed by another 5 mins after that. Woke Pete up again and said this is definitely it so he did get up then! After that my contractions were every 2 mins and sooo painful. Pete phoned my midwife Marie and she came round about 9am, did an internal and I was 3-4cm dilated and was told I could go to hospital. Got to hospital about 11am and was in agony, was given gas and air which I hated, was in so much pain I didn't give it a chance so asked for Pethidine which was great! My mum and sister arrived as planned and I got on with the rest of my labour with the Pethidine and gas and air when contractions came. Marie came to the hospital after doing her rounds and said she would deliver my baby. Got to 10cm and was told I could push, had no urge to push whatsoever but was told I had to. So after pushing for 2 and a half hours and being threatened with a drip, ventouse or forceps I gave birth to Joshua naturally. He was born at 4.08pm weighing in at a very healthy 8lb 1oz and was just perfect. Pete looked so proud and had tears in his eyes which made me feel so happy and so lucky. After all the pain it was the best feeling in the world and I was very proud of myself.

Time in labour: 10 hours 15 mins."

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