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!"

Submit your story to marvellousmummies@live.co.uk - please state whether you would like your name and location published otherwise by default you will become 'Anon'.

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."

Submit your story to marvellousmummies@live.co.uk - please state whether you would like your name and location published otherwise by default you will become 'Anon'.