Cian’s Birth Story
Sydney
Xander, 3.4kg
37+5
Home birth
Our journey began on a Friday evening. While hosting friends around our DIY fire pit, I started feeling low-level contractions. By 11:00 PM, the discomfort sent me to bed, and shortly after midnight, I felt my waters break. My husband Andy was outside finishing a nightcap; I poked my head out to tell him it was “go time,” and we alerted our doula, Aimee.
The Labor
The following day was a calm “waiting game.” We kept the house dark and quiet, napping to save energy. I used Hypnobirthing visualizations to move through mild cramps. That afternoon, a storm rolled in—a mirror of the day I found out I was pregnant. A picture of my mum even fell off the console; I felt certain she was watching over us.
By 5:30 PM, things intensified. Andy set up the TENS machine and timed contractions as they jumped to just a few minutes apart. I tried a shower and various positions—all fours, leaning on a stool & standing upright leaning on the wall—before moving to the bed. Aimee arrived around 8:30 PM, followed soon by our midwife, Chantel, whose calm and encouraging presence was exactly what I needed.
The Transition
We experimented with different positions—swaying with Andy, using the birth stool, used the birth sling and sat back to front on the toilet — but I eventually moved back to the bed for a vaginal check as I was feeling exhausted and like I wasn’t progressing. It turned out I was fully dilated, and the baby’s head was low! Though the pool was ready, the idea of walking across the house felt impossible. I decided then and there to deliver on our bed.
I found my rhythm using low hums and “horse breaths” to keep my jaw relaxed. Between the intense waves, I repeated my affirmations: “I trust my body. I am safe & supported. I can do this, I can do hard things.” Working with my breath and using Hypnobirthing breathing techniques also really helped.
The Delivery
Chantel (our sub in midwife, as ours couldn’t make it) was incredibly supportive during the pushing phase. I felt the “ring of fire” briefly, and at 12:26 AM on February 22nd, our son was born weighing 3.4kg. It was interesting that I got no real urge to push and had to do a bit of coached pushing, but Chantel was very patient and encouraging which gave me lots of time to push him out while still allowing my body time to stretch and bring him down. I was surprised by the lack of pain during the pushing phase, everything down there just felt a bit numb – I could feel pressure but no real pain. When bubs arrived there was a brief moment of untangling his cord from his neck before he was placed on my chest. He was red, sticky, and perfect. I felt an immediate, surge of love and connection.
Even our cat, Nala, was part of the magic. She pushed my husband to get out of the way – placed herself next to my head & nuzzled my ear as I pushed.
Afterglow
While Andy (hubby) had skin-to-skin time, I delivered the placenta easily (I think an hour after the birth I did one push and it came out freely). Chantel later mentioned that bubs had been posterior and his head was at a slight angle, which explained why the active stage felt so intense!
Aimee stayed to help us settle in—changing sheets, heating dinner, and helping me to the shower. Those first hours were filled with reflection. I felt strong, calm, and completely supported. Watching Andy step into his role as a dad—attentive, proud, and natural—was the perfect end to the most transformative night of my life
For a first-time birth, the process was remarkably quick—only seven hours from start to finish. Both my midwife and doula commented on how ‘zen’ the atmosphere remained throughout. I feel incredibly proud of the strength and calm I found to bring little Xander into the world
I was quite fearful of birth when I started my pregnancy journey and I’m glad after a lot of research and hard work that my birth went so smoothly & was an empowering experience for me.
