We welcomed our beautiful baby boy, Beauden, on the 31st March weighing a very chunky 10 pounds. As much as I will say it was the hardest experience I have ever done, it was made so much easier having completed your course. Not just for myself, but for my partner too.

At 9.15am on Sunday 31st march my waters broke. This was 3 days past my due date and far from ideal as my partner Billy had just arrived in Manchester for work. Luckily I had my mum with me and as we were so prepared with hospital bags and birth preferences that we had established through Esme’s course I felt very calm and in safe hands. We headed into the hospital to have my waters checked out around 11am where they kept me in for observations until around 2.30pm due to reduced movements from baby. Throughout all of this I felt incredibly stress free and in control of my body and baby.

My partner managed to make it back from Manchester to pick myself and my mum up from hospital at 3pm as I had been discharged as no signs of baby anytime soon. During the car ride home my contractions started to come thick and fast. I used my own TENS machine during this early stage, which was so worth it. Upon arriving home I was in a lot of discomfort and was really starting to tap into my visualisation and breathing exercises I had gone through with Esme. As the course has such a great focus on the mother and partner, Billy was amazing at keeping me on track with the relaxation process.

At 5pm we rang the hospital as my contractions were coming every couple of minutes and lasting a good length of time, and I just knew my body was ready. I was 5cm dilated when I arrived, which was such a relief. Unfortunately my blood pressure was just a little high, and as much as I would have loved to have gone to the birth centre for a water birth we were advised against this and to go to the labour ward for more monitoring. My mum and partner were great at this point as they both challenged this originally as they were well informed with what we wanted but also to give more control over our birth. This power of information was certainly what Esme provided for us. Eventually though we all agreed it was best to go to the labour ward. Throughout this I went onto gas and air and focused solely on my breathing and visualisation. I felt comfortable and confident knowing Billy and my mum could be advocates for me and I could focus on me and my baby.

From this point I totally checked out and went into my own headspace, and very quickly I started to push. This part of the labour flew by, but unfortunately I became very tired as my baby’s head was rotated slightly the wrong way. At this point baby’s heart rate started to drop and we then had an influx of doctors and midwives into our room. I was very much oblivious to all of this though as I was still so focused on my breathing. Billy and my mum were such great advocates for me once again, as they decided with the medical professionals that I needed some assistance with a forceps delivery. Prior to labour we had discussed that I wanted that to be the first option over an emergency c-section if possible, hence why my partner and Mum advocated for that. Had we not done the course I feel my partner would have been so much more anxious about making a decision like that. I had total trust in him.

I was taken to theatre, given a nerve block, and baby was rotated with the forceps. Then I was able to push baby out within three contractions. Our beautiful baby boy beau had arrived.

As much as it may sound traumatic as it wasn’t a ‘natural’ unassisted birth, I still see my labour as extremely positive and my partner and mum would say the same thing. We were so well informed through Esme’s course that we had that power of knowledge to shape our labour, and I had the power of taught skills like breathing and visualisation to get me through it. I cannot recommend this course and Esme leading it enough. She was so kind, calm, and patient with us and made us feel incredibly empowered to take on this wild journey into parenthood. She will always hold a very special place in our memories for getting beautiful Beau here. Thank you Esme!