Making the choice - Ashleigh and baby Eadie’s home birth journey | News

Home birth is an option unexplored by many of our moms-to-be because it seems unusual and worrying to have your baby outside of a clinical environment.

There are many misconceptions about home birth being unsafe and high-risk but many women who opt for a home birth have had a positive experience without complications. According to the Birthplace in England, Study found that 88% of women who had a planned home birth had an intervention-free birth compared with 58% of planned obstetric unit births.

We caught up with new mom Ashleigh Hall about her experience giving birth to her second baby with our Women’s Hospital Home birth team.

Ashleigh shared how home birth allowed her to fit her birthing experience into her family life and enabled her partner Curtis to be fully present throughout the entire pregnancy journey. We’re very pleased to share that Ashleigh gave birth to a beautiful baby girl Eadie, born on 19 January 2022 at 08:07 am, weighing 7lb 8oz, with her partner by her side throughout.

With maternity midwife Gemma Hand supporting throughout Ashleigh’s birth journey and lead midwife Dayna Wright supporting throughout the entire pregnancy, Ashleigh said: “I felt really supported throughout all of my pregnancy and during labour, even after Eadie’s birth, they gave me guidance on adapting to life after birth, making sure I was fully confident before they left our home. They were a constant. It was really nice to see the same faces throughout and to be able to fit my pregnancy and delivery around my life.”

Second-time mom Ashleigh also shared that this was her first time giving birth at home and she was able to adjust her labour and pregnancy journey to her home life, making labour less stressful with all of the comforts of her own home. 19 months before, Ashleigh gave birth to Eadie’s sister Elsie at the hospital and with the assurance from our team of midwives; she decided to have her second baby at home so that her partner who regularly worked from home could be fully present through the pregnancy journey.

“It was much less stressful to have Eadie at home – it helped me to be there for Elsie too, without having to leave her behind. It was nice throughout the pregnancy because Curtis was working from home throughout most of it so he could be there easily through all of the scans.”

At home, Ashleigh had a swift water birth labour which helped to relax her. Within 10 minutes of being in the water, Ashleigh gave birth to her little girl without having to visit the hospital.

She said: “It was really straightforward and stress-free; I'd recommend it to any mom-to-be. I wish I would’ve had a home birth with my first daughter Elsie.”

Last month, our Home birth team delivered 14 babies through home birth (6 girls and 8 boys) with 41 new referrals with 64% of these women also opting for a water birth just as Ashleigh did.

We also caught up with Dayna Wright, Lead Midwife for the Home birth team and Continuity of Care teams who said: “Having a home birth has many benefits for women, even for first-time mothers, including reduced chance of intervention and poor outcomes. It is proven that home birth is a very safe option for women experiencing a straightforward, low-risk pregnancy, and there are no differences in outcomes for newborn babies, whether the birth is at home or in the hospital.

“The team will stay with you and your family at home for a minimum of two hours after you have given birth to allow time for you to bond with your baby and complete all of the routine checks. It was a pleasure to care for Ashleigh and Curtis throughout both of their pregnancies, providing full continuity of care, which is proven to improve outcomes.”

Planning to have your baby at home starts with referring to the home birth team by email or telephone, a midwife will attend your home to discuss your options and preparation for home birth. Usually, after that first conversation, families have enough information to make an informed decision about their place of birth. If you prefer but did not want to continue with plans for home birth, the team can still provide antenatal and postnatal care if your situation changes, or you can be referred back to your community midwife.”

Throughout Ashleigh’s birth journey, Gemma and Dayna were with her throughout the entire experience, making sure that she was able to have one consistent and familiar member of our team before baby Eadie’s arrival.

Ashleigh said: I felt like I could ask as many questions as I needed to and she would always be able to give me consistent reassurance. It was an amazing experience; the labour was really quick and it was so nice to feel comfortable throughout without having to frantically drive to the hospital.”

We’d like to say a huge ‘congratulations’ to Ashleigh and Curtis on the birth of their two daughters, baby Eadie and little Elsie. Thank you for sharing your home birth story with us!

To learn more about Home birth, visit our Home birth page here.

Follow our team on Instagram and Twitter - @homebirthteam Contact the home birth team at 0121 335 8098

Or email bwc.homebirthteam@nhs.net