By this point I was very much in my ‘monkey brain’, I don’t think I was consciously doing ‘hypno-breathing’, I was just breathing as I needed to: very slow rhythmic breathing in through the mouth and out through the mouth with a low ‘Oooh’.

I have never felt more alive and in ore of these lovely people around me that made this awesome birthing experience something I will never forgot. When someone tells me to visualise the happiest moment in my life I will go back to this place and pulling Stanley out of the water.

When I eventually got into the water, the warmth was soothing and I felt weightless which helped naturally with the pain, but it wasn’t long until I needed the gas and air again.

We had a plan for a cosy home birth with pool, and the support of our Doula. We had done a run through’ hot tub in the kitchen’ night and I loved the space we created and was looking forward to it. At 39 weeks I needed a growth scan and we found out baby was breech.

On Tuesday 19th of July at 36 weeks and 3 days I woke up at about 6am with an upset stomach, slight cramps and lots of pressure making me feel like I kept needing a wee. (Writing that back now I obviously was in early labour but at 36 weeks I was in absolute denial)

Reuben was breathing audibly in for 4 and out for 6 and I was following his lead and breathing with him. I was safe here, I found my rhythm and relaxed into the intensity of it all.

I began to roar and sing and growl and make other primal sounds that I have neither heard another human make nor knew I was capable of making, as my body opened completely up and began to push my baby down.