Megan: First Birth, NHS Hospital Induction, Reduced Movements & Fast Hospital Birth

Megan was a student midwife, 39 weeks pregnant, and planning a home birth. Then her baby stopped moving the way he should. Megan Rossiter is the founder of BirthEd and was in her second year of midwifery training when she fell pregnant with her first baby. After a pregnancy dominated by severe hyperemesis, she planned a calm home birth supported by a dedicated home birth team. At 39 weeks, reduced movements changed everything, and Megan found herself negotiating her way through the exact hospital system she knew inside out. The turning point came at the end of a long, uncertain day, when the midwife who had cared for her through pregnancy came to sit with her even though her shift had finished. She listened, let Megan cry, and helped her build a plan she actually felt okay about. From there, what followed was a fast, intense induction, a labour ward with no space for her, and a birth Megan fought for on her own terms right to the very end. In this episode we talk about: Living with hyperemesis gravidarum so severe it meant repeated hospital admissions and months of medication Choosing a home birth as a student midwife, and why the environment of a birth centre changed everything for her Being told your baby needs an induction after reduced movements, and how Megan negotiated the timing and method What it is really like to labour on a busy antenatal ward with no privacy and no midwife of your own Trusting an instinct that told her to move into a position no midwife would ever recommend, and why it worked This episode is for anyone who has ever been told to trust the system, while their own instincts were telling them something different. 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 · YouTube Want to come on the podcast? Get in touch and share your story here Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.