After a difficult birth for her first baby, I’m so happy that Tanya got her dream waterbirth. She advocated for herself and her baby like a superwoman, and worked with the midwives at Darent Valley to make it happen!

Congratulations Tanya, and thank you for sharing your birth story! 

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First time parents Katie and Felix live in Taiwan where the maternity system is very different to the UK. In Taiwan, highly medicalised birth is the norm, with most women giving birth on their back in stirrups, and there is also high rates of Caesarean which is often seen as the preferred option. 

First-time Mum Lucy had an amazing positive birth in Lewisham Birth Centre in Greenwich, exactly as she had planned. Here's Lucy telling her story in her own words:

"I had a sweep on my due date and started having contractions 3 hours later. I was on and off for 24 hours with all of the distraction...

“When it came to the birth the breathing techniques were fundamental in handling the contractions. I used the hypnobirthing tracks and breathing whilst labouring at home and nothing else. When I got to the hospital I was already 6cm!

Due to being 6cm it closed off pethidine as a pain option due to it...

I was blessed to have a low-risk and pretty healthy pregnancy, despite suffering with vomiting and nausea for the 9 months, along with hip pain during a certain period. 

 Once I reached 37 weeks pregnant, I was experiencing braxton hicks often. They would come at random times and of varying intensi...