The Birth of Lily-Rose: waterbirth at Darent Valley birth centre

After a difficult birth for her first baby, I’m so happy that Tanya got her dream waterbirth. She advocated for herself and her baby like a superwoman, and worked with the midwives at Darent Valley to make it happen!

Congratulations Tanya, and thank you for sharing your birth story! 

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Hi Laura, thank you for all of your hypnobirthing advice. I had baby girl yesterday, no pain relief & no interventions!

My positive birth experience:

When I first phoned Darent Valley Hospital after contracting all day, they said the birth centre is closed tonight so I’ll have to go on delivery suite.

Based on the interventions and difficult experience I'd had with my first baby, I said no I'll have home birth then or go to a different hospital. So I carried on with tens machine at home.

Tom called the hospital again close to midnight when I was having contractions 2/3 mins apart. This time they accommodated us by taking a midwife off the delivery ward so I could go toe the birth centre.

Despite checking me on arrival and telling me I was only 4cm dilated, they listened to me 10 minutes later when I puked up my dinner and said I can tell she is in the birth canal! So they moved me into the birth pool.

We had arrived at hospital just before midnight (only 5 min drive), and my waters broke getting out of the car!

Baby girl was born an hour and a half later in the birth pool.

No pain relief, no tears down below this time!

And I even birthed the placenta without intervention!

I’m in shock at what our bodies can do if we get the support we need. Thanks again for everything you taught us xx