The birth of baby Edward......

Here is a repost of the blog about my very first birth as a doula. It had a massive impact on me and really cemented that this was exactly what I wanted to do with my life. 

​I was very lucky that not long after I completed my doula training I had the opportunity to put what I had learnt into practice. I was hired by a lovely couple to support them during the birth of their third son. Jade had not had the best experiences during her previous births and felt that by hiring a doula she would feel more supported this time and able to achieve a positive experience.


At 8.30pm I received a text message to let me know that  Jade thought she may be going into labour. She had spoken to her midwife and she was on her way to check her over. An hour later I was on my way to Jade’s house after she let me know she was contracting regularly, she was 4cms and her waters had just broken. The mix of emotions I was feeling was like nothing I had felt before. I of course was so very excited to be taking these next steps in my journey but I was also very aware that this night was not about me, it was about Jade and Casper.
Once I arrived at Jade’s house I could see things were moving along nicely. Jade was contracting regularly and Casper was preparing the pool. The atmosphere was lovely and calm, lights down low with some fairy lights and candles and Jade’s lovely labour music playing quietly in the background. It wasn’t long before Jade decided she needed to get in the pool even though it was quite up to temperature yet! Casper worked tirelessly boiling pans and kettles to get the pool warm enough as quickly as possible for Jade. At this point I got in contact with Katie who was a birth photographer that Jade and Casper had hired, by the time she arrived at about midnight things were really happening. Jade was doing amazingly as she went with each contraction, sinking into the water and resting on the side of the pool in between. Casper was such a strong and awesome birth partner and he supported Jade in every way she needed him.

​Between Casper and I we tried to make sure Jade had the physical and emotional support she needed this could mean fetching a cool flannel for her head when she got too warm to supporting her in the pool to whispering in ear when she felt a little unsure.
Jade continued to labour beautifully using gas and air and it was not long before she let us know that she was starting to feel like pushing was close. She moved position in the pool so her midwife could examine her. She stayed in this new position for  a little bit while I supported her arms and reassured her as she entered transition.

​At just after 2am Jade birthed her baby’s head in the pool, shortly after she transferred onto the sofa to change position to help the birth of his body. At 02.20am baby Edward was born straight onto Jade’s chest weighing a very healthy 10lbs 11oz! The placenta followed soon after and it wasn’t long before we were all having a cup of tea and a bacon sandwich while Edward enjoyed his first feed!