I assumed siblings would be alike. But our first two boys are as different as they come, right from pregnancy. I had been very sick with my second pregnancy and lost 10kg with the constant nausia and hightend sense of smell. We assumed he would wait until 40+ weeks like his older brother. At the time we lived on a small island called Papa Westray in Scotland and had agreed with the NHS that we would move into an AirBnB close to the hospital at 38wks. Which happend to be Friday, the first day of the school holidays and the day the car ferry came, linking Papa Westray to the Mainland, our local hospital and the city of Kirkwall. I had laid the last of the floor boards in our living room on Wednesday and packed the car for our growing family and expected month away on our AirBnB baby moon holiday. On Thursday like every week day, I cycled the 2km to drop and pick up our older son from nursery on the last day of school before the three week 'tattie' holidays. We were ready for our Mainland holiday!

But on Friday morning at exactly 6am I rolled over in bed and my waters broke! A couple of hours later we sat at our table eating our morning porridge. Looking out at the stormy seas, checking the weather and boat cancellations and flight awaylabilities. Trying to figure out what options were open to us. The surgest had kicked in and were growing steadily. This felt fast and strong. With the boat not leaving until 2pm we wouldn't get to the city until 5pm. We were calm when we called the midwives and asked them to come to us, this was going to be a big deviation from what we had planned. A few minutes later they called to say they had a helicopter ready to come get us and that it would be with us in 20min time! This was unexpected, yet a brilliant option and with it everything changed. Our calm, happy and relaxed tones changed to urgency. Somehow we had to get dressed for the stormy weather outside, repack the car into a couple of bags only and meet the helicopter. Somehow we miss communicated too, the helicpter came and landed ina field outside our house and we were at the airstrip on the other side of the island. Once in the helicpter the blades turning laudly thud-thud-thud. I cuddling my 4yr old whos little eyes stared with fear and face squished by the huge ear muffs. It was all too much, as the helicopter lifted off I felt my baby move inside me and pull right out of my pelvis and labour stopped. 

We walked over the tarmac to the ambulance, drove to the AirBnB, the rain pouring down, dark and cold even at midday. The cars driving past the strange new house. I rearanged the furniture to make space for the pool, the midwives, and decorate the room with the few items we brough from home, my birth painting, salt lamp, birth affirmations, while my husband and son went to have some fun in the city. I tried to sleep, have a shower, listen to relaxations. Night fell, we ate and went for a walk as a friend watched our son. We looked at the night sky the full moon racing accross the sky, hiding behind the dark clouds then reapearning. The gulls circled and called from the harbour where we stood cuddled together watching the moon and thinking of our wee baby. With rain in our faces and cold noses we went home again and settled in for the night. I was dry now, the amniotic fluid had all leaked out, and I knew, I had to find that calm again to allow labour to restart. 

In the depth of night my labour returned, progressing quickly. By 6am we had our doula and two midwives with us and all was looking good. I slept between the contractions, and Chris was there to snuggle into for the surges. Our amazing Doula brought with her a calm that penetrated the whole room. As the hours passed the midwives became more tense and as a result Chris and I more close, we had built our own birth bubble and stayed in it calm, strong, intune and responsive to my own instincts. I moved when I felt I needed to and stood or was very upright for most of the labour. The pool didn't feel right this time. My baby responded to each surge and I could feel him wriggle. Sometime after 9am I asked if I could use the gas and air. It was exactly what I needed and took the edge of, he felt so big. I remember saying to the midwives, this baby has a huge head. Finally close to midday he shot into the world, fast, perfect and with full lungs, announcing his arrival. The midwife caught him and lifted him to my chest, I had birthed him sitting on the edge of the couch. I remember looking down on him red lipped mouth wide open screaming, waving his little fits into the air his eyes tighty closed. I was inlove, my heart was full, the biggest smile on my face. We were so united and the after birth ephoria was palpable. He was born with one arm right over his head. No tears, no scrapes but no placenta either. We calmy transfered to the hospital and the midwives prepped me mentally for what the surgery would entail as we drove the windy small streets of Kirkwall. The hospital staff were amazing and the surgeon was polite, respectful and positive. Not long after our arrival, some gas and air and some traction the placenta was out, no surgery after all. 

I remember well the weirdness of then having to walk out of the hospital, waiting in the cold for a taxi my little baby boy wrapped tightly to my chest, where he stayed for most of the next 5 months. We arrived back to the house and our Doula had worked miracles, there was hot food, our beds were ready the living room, all tidy, pure bliss. He was a little baby who rarely opened his eyes in his first month with us. I had longed for him and now he was here, I had worked, fought and carried him and today I birthed him, he is mine. His birth did not go to plan, so many unplanned unforseen things took place yet we were united, we had our team and we came out of it as a family, filled with love, joy and wonder and most of all my husband and I were a team, we felt strong.

Birth from a fathers perspective, Chris Bell