Harriet's HomeBirth Transfer Birth Story

My beautiful client, Harriet, shares her amazing birth story with us. After joining my Northampton Group Hypnobirthing course, she decided to book in for a home birth with the Kettering Community Midwives team, hoping for a home water birth with as little medical intervention as possible.

Harriet beautifully describes how peaceful and calm her labour was at home. Before birth then took an unexpected turn and the decision was made to transfer into hospital for the safe delivery of her little girl.

Harriet’s story shows how important it is to get educated on your options, listen to your instincts and how hypnobirthing techniques can help you remain calm despite a change of plan.

I’m SO proud of Harriet, she did absolutely amazing and truly is a queen!

'I was so excited when we found out we were pregnant with our first baby due in May 2025 and knew that hypnobirthing was definitely something I wanted us to try. We found Kristina’s class a great option to book onto as it was local to us and split into two sessions. We went not knowing what to expect and it gave use some great hypnobirthing techniques, postpartum preparation and encouraged us to book in for a home birth in order to have our “dream” birth experience. I really wanted a water birth and less medical intervention as possible.

I was five days overdue and as prepared as I could ever be when contractions started late on a Thursday. I’d been having false labour starts for about a week so I knew it was for real when my waters started to break. Everything was ready the birth pool was ready to go, the fairy lights decorated the Polaroid camera ready! Now it was time to relax first in our bath and then as morning approached in our birth pool and focus on my breathing before the midwives arrived.

Harriet labouring in her birth pool at home

Focusing on my breath and with all my comforts at home I honestly felt really at peace, using the gas and air and birth pool I had a beautiful view of my garden and listened to my music and the birds song. Even the midwives joked that the labour was so peaceful! However, as birth often is the unexpected happened and I began to feel the urge to push before I was fully dilated and my cervix began to harden. We made the call to go into hospital as our baby’s heartbeat was becoming erratic and I found the pain really excruciating. The ambulance arrived and everyone was so lovely, calm and focused on him the safe delivery of our baby as well as looking after me.

Pippin the dog

All I could do was keep breathing, keep focusing on the gas and air and not let the pain override my calm. Which was easier said than done! But I truly believe everything happened for a reason and although I didn’t get my “dream” birth, our daughter Penelope was born through vaginal delivery about 40 minutes after we arrived at Kettering General! The ambulance journey helped to shift her down the birth canal making everything less painful and easier. The team at Kettering were so incredible at making us all feel calm under an emergency delivery, our baby needed to go to the ICU due to ingesting meconium so we really did benefit from making the call to go into the hospital anyway.

We still experienced the home birth for most of my labour, I still had a calm experience for most of the delivery and the main positive is all of us were safe and cared for. I am so proud of myself for doing the preparation including going to Kristina’s classes, as whatever happened it allowed me focus on what truly was important the safe arrival of our baby girl!'

Harriet & daughter, Penelope

Are you pregnant and looking for a hypnobirthing classes? Drop me a line thebirthbase@gmail.com, or read more about my Northampton Group Hypnobirthing courses here

You can check out more client birth stories here...