Kirsten: Second Birth, Planned NHS Home Birth, Hyperemesis Gravidarum, Fast Labour, Physiological Water Birth, Fetal Ejection Reflex, Physiological Third Stage, No Stitches, Healing Birth After Difficult First Experience

She had been awake for hours, then asleep for two, when she woke up to the strongest contraction she had ever felt. Her waters broke. She looked at the clock. It was 4am, exactly when she had known it would be. Kirsten is an independent midwife who shares her second birth, a home water birth that gave her everything her first had not. Her second pregnancy brought hyperemesis again, a baby measuring on the 97th centile who turned out to be 6 pounds 12, and weeks of prodromal labour that stopped every single night just before she thought it was finally happening. When labour did come for real, it came fast. She was in the shower on all fours, making the sounds any midwife would recognise, while her partner ran up and down two flights of stairs between contractions to fill the pool. Her son Arlo was born in the water at five to six in the morning. Two midwives she already knew and loved caught him. Nobody cut the cord. Nobody gave her an injection without asking. Nobody touched her without her permission.  In this episode we talk about:Why weeks of prodromal labour is so hard to manage mentally and what actually helped Kirsten get through itWhat it feels like to go from asleep to transitioning in the space of about 15 minutesThe fetal ejection reflex, what it actually is, and how Kirsten describes it in a way that finally makes it make senseHow Kirsten declined suturing after a small tear and what she did insteadWhy she had always planned to leave the NHS, and what eventually pushed her to go independent This episode is for anyone who had a first birth that felt like it happened to them, and is wondering if they can take back control the second time around. Kirsten did. Completely.The stories shared on British Birthing Stories are real, personal experiences from real women. I am not a medical professional and this podcast is not a substitute for medical advice. Every pregnancy and birth is different, and I always encourage you to speak to your midwife or doctor about your own individual care.  British Birthing Stories shares real, unfiltered stories of childbirth in the UK, from pregnancy and labour to postpartum recovery.These stories reflect personal experiences and should not be taken as or replace medical advice. Always seek guidance from a qualified healthcare professional.Follow us on social: Instagram · TikTok · YouTubeWant to come on the podcast? Get in touch and share your story here Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.