Last month (July 2025) I attended two more homebirths and I’m in awe. In awe of women’s inner knowing, inner power and instinct. These two births I have attended have been quite different but also similar in how women have birthed so in tune with their bodies. And if you have fears around birth, keep reading, you too can have an amazing birth.
The first homebirth was by my first ever client as an independent midwife, the first family that trusted me with their care when I was just starting out. I remember the excitement when on that first online consultation back in November they told me right there and then that they wanted me to be their midwife. Such an honour!
Fast forward 9 months and I attended the birth of their first son on my own as the second midwife didn’t make it. It was a beautiful short birth with only 20 minutes of powerful gutural pushing and a bit of running around on my side trying to get everything ready… So much so that, at the last minute, I realised that we didn’t have a mirror to see the perineum stretch as the baby comes and possibly for the first time in my career, as the lead midwife, I didn’t see a baby come out. It was actually pretty mind blowing and powerful. For the first time ever I was not looking at a perineum and saying “well done, you’re doing great, just breath through”. No, for the first time I was speaking to the mum directly and trusting that birth will go well. She was birthing very instinctively and she was reaching out to her perineum as she felt the baby crown. And without seeing, I knew. I knew that she was feeling the ring of fire as her pitch changed and then I encouraged her to breath through. But she couldn’t slow down the speed at which this baby was coming to the world, so pretty soon he was born in the pool without complications. She did sustain a second degree tear and, again, for the first time in my career I did not suture it for maternal request. And guess what? It healed beautifully.
Now, onto the second birth. This other first time mum also had a homebirth but she needed a bit more reassurance and it was a longer labour (very average length for a first time mum though!). There were some fears that she needed to overcome but, in spite of that, we witnessed a powerful woman that knew exactly how to move and how to breath her baby out. There were some cries for help (for a forceps, to get this baby out, for a hospital transfer-as women do when they go through transition) but still the body had such a strong inner knowing that this mum birthed her baby in a semi squatt position with her left leg up because the baby was coming with his arm on his face and the head was tilted as a result. Several times this mum felt like the baby was stuck but she had the freedom to move and suddenly without warning we saw head! We were quite surprised as she did not pushed once. She breathed the baby out and had an intact perineum. Yes mums! It is possible not to tear for your first baby, even when they come at a funny angle or with arms out like superman. And it is possible to still have a physiological birth with some fears. Birth and motherhood makes us face dark sides in us, it is part of the process.
These women were truly superwomen that birthed instinctivly and it goes to show that with trust, the right team around and the right environment, women can overcome their fears and have truly physiological births. To the point that even us midwives still get surprised by it.
Amazing picture by Dutch Photographer Jessica Innmee