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Birth story: Born into my hands at home

When iVillager Debra Parker planned her home birth she didn't expect to deliver her baby alone

Week 41
18th October
9.45am: I think I have a small show. It's very mucusy, but tinged with blood. All the books suggest it could still be a few days away. My midwife reckons 24-48 hours?

5.45pm: Braxton Hicks turn into proper contractions - they are slightly painful.

8.15pm: Another mucusy show tinged with blood.

19th October
Contractions continue through the night and occasionally wake me, but are still manageable. My close friend, Gaynor and I decide to go for a walk to see if we can get things moving any quicker, but they are still 5-15 minutes apart and not regular.

7pm: I get into a hot bath, which in hindsight really did get things moving! It let me allow the contractions to take over. Along with a little nipple stimulation the contractions become three minutes apart and are soothed by the hot water. I get out of the bath at 7.45pm and completely loosen the mucusy plug.

8pm: Annette, my doula, comes over, and we both agree that this is probably still pre-labour as the contractions return to their ten-minute distance. However they are progressively more painful. We arrange some homeopathic treatments that we can start in the morning - all I want to do tonight is sleep, as I feel so disappointed at my lack of progress.

10pm: I'm very sleepy between contractions and cannot really concentrate on the game of Othello I'm playing, so my partner, Ben, takes me up to bed. The contractions are more regular, so I ask him to check on me in half an hour.

10.40pm: I feel fine. The contractions are very painful, but because I am asleep between them, I ask Ben to give me another half an hour.

11pm: The contractions are agony. Since I'm having a lie down between them, I have to go onto my front in a sort of all-fours position to deal with them. I'm making quite a bit of noise now too.

11.15pm: The noise alerts Ben. He comes to ask if I am OK. I start to tell him that this still cannot be it as the closest the contractions get is six minutes apart, but mid-sentence, I feel a sudden urge to push. I can now feel the baby's head dropping inside. We know we have to do something quickly! He phones the midwives, the paramedics and my doula, whilst I deal with agonising contractions mostly in my lower belly but in my back too, now lasting 1-2 minutes. Suddenly they are every 30 seconds and two minutes apart!

I don't know how I am going to avoid pushing this baby out very soon, I try getting onto the bed (while answering Ben's questions about my doctor and midwife!), pushing the hot water bottle on my lower belly to desperately attempt to relieve some pain.

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