Agne came to my weekly pregnancy yoga classes in Dartford as part of her birth prep for her first baby. She was advised to have an induction, and ended up with a natural birth at Darent Valley delivery suite.
We joyfully welcomed our daughter, Charlotte Marie, on 6th April 2025 at 1:35am. She arrived at 41 weeks + 3 days, weighing 3.58kg and measuring 51cm.
After three unsuccessful sweeps, I reached 41+2 weeks and was referred for induction. We arrived at the hospital on the evening of 5th April for the usual checks, only to discover that I was already 2cm dilated. This meant they could skip the formal induction and instead break my waters artificially. However, since no beds were available at that moment, I had yet another sweep, and we were told to wait for a call once space opened up.
As we were leaving, the midwife rang to say a bed had become available. It was around 7:30pm on a Saturday, and fortunately, we had our bags with us. Since my waters were due to be broken, I no longer qualified for the birth centre I had hoped for. Still, the midwife reassured us she would create as close to a birth-centre experience as possible. She dimmed the lights, added tealights, we sprayed our chosen aromatherapy blend, and played our music. The birth ball and TENS machine came out, and the atmosphere felt warm and calming.
Not long after, my waters were broken and the waiting began. With everything in the hospital closed, my partner went to McDonald’s so we could share an impromptu “last meal” together—burgers in the corridor before pacing the halls endlessly to get labour moving. Around 11:30pm, contractions became intense and the TENS machine stayed on constantly, helping me stay focused.
In just an hour and a half, I had progressed to 6cm. I settled onto the birth ball for the remainder of labour, relying on breathing techniques after discovering that gas and air made me sick. Intermittent monitoring allowed me to stay mobile, which made a big difference. As the intensity grew, I asked for a pethidine injection. Yet only twenty minutes later, I began to feel strong new sensations. When the midwife checked, she was astonished to find it was already time to push.
Labour lasted just 2.5 hours, and after only 24 minutes of pushing, our little girl was in our arms. From my waters being broken to Charlotte’s arrival, the whole journey took 6 hours and 13 minutes.
Though I required stitches for a second-degree tear—an experience more uncomfortable than the birth itself—we were discharged that same morning. Now, five months later, our Charlotte continues to bring us endless joy and I couldn’t be more grateful for the experience received in Darent.
