Our baby girl Sunday had entered the world (on Saturday) – I am in awe of the act of birth

Story by Rob & Abbey

Rob’s Story – Labour and birth went pretty much how Abbey had hoped (just a little bit faster). At the end of it all, I turned to the midwife and said, “That’s pretty textbook, yeah?” (However textbook birth can be). She laughed and said, “Even better – it doesn’t happen that fast in the textbook.” Of course, it had its fears, tears, and everything birth brings… just on an express timeline. Abbey’s ideal plan was to go naturally, only having induction or epidural if needed. After a few anxious trips to the Hospital throughout the week – including a perfectly timed chance-encounter with Calmbirth Karen – we settled on an induction date Tuesday the 22nd. But little did we know Sunny and Abbey had other plans.

07:00 am on Friday 18th we woke up to Abbey’s waters breaking. Headed to the hospital (calmly), they confirmed it, monitored, and decided to send us home to relax into labour. So, we did. Abbey kept her hair appt, got a wash and blow dry. And then we headed home. Calmly. 07:00 pm that night Abbey started having contractions. And we knew we wanted to stay home as long as possible. Breathing, hips and shower were the focus. Anytime we thought to go in, we called ahead first. And the on-duty midwives assured us we were good to stay home. ‘Not yet, not yet not yet.’

02:30 am Saturday 19th. It was time. We arrived at the hospital. Made our way to birthing unit, stopping for contractions. And went straight into the birthing suite. Abbey was 2cm dilated at this time. Quickly into active labour. Abbey opted for endone and gas for some pain relief. 05:00 am after going through it all – the non-verbal, the flow state and the highs and lows of back-to-back contractions, Abbey felt the urge to push. The midwife said ‘not yet but I’ll check’… and Abbey was now in fact – 8cm dilated. Dilating 6 cm in 2.5 hours! Unbelievable. 5:40ish am she was 10cm and we could see the hair. She changed positions. And began to push. One determined woman.

5:55am A few powerful contractions later the head was out. Another contraction the body. Just 15 mins in the pushing stage and our beautiful little girl arrived. I told Abbey. ‘It’s a girl’ in between happy sobs. And just like that our little family was created.

Sunday had entered the world (on Saturday). I am in awe of the act of birth and what Abbey achieved. I was exhausted, scared, fascinated, overwhelmed, and awestruck all at once. And I wasn’t even the one pushing. I’m not sure I got to use every calm birth tool due to the timeline. But it massively helped me be comfortable in Identifying the phases, helping Abbey cope, and knowing what to tell the midwife.

Abbey’s Story –

One of the biggest lessons labour taught me is how important it is to be honest with yourself about what you need. During pregnancy I sometimes found myself worrying about everyone else’s opinions and expectations instead of truly listening to my own heart. I learned that every journey looks different, and it doesn’t have to match the picture perfect version we often imagine. I had horrendous anxiety all throughout pregnancy and sometimes I felt angry that my mental health was impacting my experience so much. I thought I had to squash it down and keep my worst fears inside because I was scared, they might come true if I said them out loud. But once I opened up to a trusted person, it felt like the weight of the world lifted off my shoulders. What made a huge difference for me was having a go-to person who listened without judgement and offered support in the moments I needed it most.

Sometimes that is a close friend, sometimes a family member and sometimes someone you don’t expect but having that safe space makes all the difference. I was also lucky to have two amazing midwives, Janelle, and Ash, who coached me through some really tough days with my mind. Some days the anxiety felt all-consuming but having people who understood and supported me made such a difference.

Calmbirth was another gift. Not only did we learn so much and make beautiful connections with other soon-to-be parents, but we also walked out feeling confident and empowered that we could do this together. It strengthened our bond more than I could have imagined.

I’ll never forget seeing our Calmbirth teacher, Karen, in the hospital a few days before having Sunday. She was on shift in the antenatal ward, and I was having a day where my anxiety had gotten the better of me. She took one look at me, gave me the biggest hug, and in that moment, I felt calmer than I had in weeks. It reminded me how powerful simple, genuine support can be.

Most of all, what got me through was the preparation and trust I built with my partner. We had lots of open conversations before labour about how I wanted to be supported, when to comfort me and even who he could turn to if he needed support himself. He knew all of my wishes which meant he could speak up and make decisions for me if I wasn’t able to. Because of that when the time came, he was everything I needed. He truly is my best friend and the love I have for him after going through this together has only grown deeper.