Danielle Purvis

“Harry was born at 42 weeks, despite the pressure from the hospital to induce labour. I trusted my body and Veronica. I was determined to have a homebirth in a birthing pool”. 

My son is now seven weeks old, and as the pain of labour fades, my memories of that night are filled with joy. I have the incredible team at MAMA, especially Veronica, to thank for such a positive birth experience.  

Harry was born at 42 weeks, despite the pressure from the hospital to induce labour. I trusted my body and Veronica. I was determined to have a home birth in a birthing pool. 

My labour lasted just eight hours. It took me two hours to realize I was actually in labour. In that time I walked the dogs and cooked dinner. It wasn’t until I wrote down the frequency of the pains that I realized they were coming every six minutes. As the pains intensified, I used a TENS machine, and when it started losing its effectiveness, I switched to the shower, alternating between the two. 

My waters broke seven hours in, and within just another hour, Harry was in my arms. It was incredible how my body instinctively knew what to do. The moment my waters broke, I felt the urge to push. That’s when I knew I needed Veronica and the birth pool ready. The pool couldn’t be filled fast enough with my husband filling saucepans from all over the house to fill it. As soon as I could I jumped in. I remember asking Veronica several times can I hop in yet! Once in the water I felt calmer, which was why I was so keen to have a water birth.   

With Veronica, Meg and my husband by my side, I wasn’t stressed, and I could just focus on giving birth. I trusted her completely. If she said jump, I’d jump. Throughout my pregnancy, I knew I was in safe hands, as Veronica was always just a call away.  

This experience was truly empowering, and though my husband was initially sceptical, we wouldn’t have had it any other way. 

Birth story by Danielle Purvis.