Madi’s Third Birth Story: A Home Birth After Caesarean

Despite previously being content with her family of four, Madi embraced this unexpected pregnancy and, with her health having improved significantly since her second birth, decided to pursue a VBAC at home. The news of her pregnancy brought mixed emotions: “It brought up a lot of unexpected feelings that I just was really surprised by. It was more of a, ‘Oh, are we doing this? Should we do this? Is this the right choice for our family?’ But deep down, I knew it was definitely the right choice and we just needed to let that surprise settle.”

Madi consulted with her neurosurgeon who explained that pushing during birth creates the same pressure as coughing or sneezing, and actually causes the brain herniation to retract rather than descend further. “The way he explained it is because the brain is sitting further down in my spinal column when you push a baby out, it’s actually like the same sort of motion in your brain and the spinal column as if you’re coughing or sneezing. And the herniation actually retracts, it actually comes up, therefore creating more space for the spinal fluid to flow through.”

Having worked in the midwifery world throughout her pregnancy, Madi was able to choose her care providers carefully. She hired a team of private midwives who work in partnership, creating a birth plan that included her husband Nick, four-year-old daughter Harlow, and two midwife friends as support people. “My birth team actually ended up also including two of my close friends who I studied with as well. They came along, they were very excited to be there of course, but Harlow also absolutely adores them. So I had them as extra supports, but also if they’re trained to be able to see if things were changing, to be able to take Harlow away and not be a part of any sort of emergency situation.”

Her labor began at 39 weeks and one day, progressing quickly from mild contractions to an intense birth in her living room birth pool. Using a TENS machine early proved invaluable for pain management: “Thames machines are the best thing. If they’re on early, it was so great. And I’m so happy that I put it on early.”

As labour intensified, Madi found herself in a primal state during the pushing stage: “I started bearing down. Originally, I was like, ‘Oh, it’s really hot in the pool here. Like, I think it’s a bit too hot.’ But as soon as I started bearing down, it just felt like a nice, really big, warm cuddle.” She recalls feeling “angry” during pushing: “I really felt that urge, that really strong urge to push. And it was almost like an angry urge. I felt like that was coming out in me as anger… I was like, ‘I just want to push him out right now.'”

With her midwife’s gentle guidance and her friend’s encouragement – “You’re in control, Maddie” – she birthed her son Louis herself, scooping him up from the water in what she describes as “the most overwhelming sense of euphoria. Something I’ve never felt ever in my life and I want to bottle it up and keep it forever because it was just so, so amazing.”

The postpartum experience at home allowed her husband to be fully present during those crucial early days of breastfeeding – something Madi values deeply after struggling with feeding her first two babies. “It was really cool to have him around for the cluster feeding nights, but for him to have a little bit more understanding of what those first couple of days and nights actually do look like for feeding, because they’re not easy. The dads, not by choice, but the dads end up going home usually at the hardest times of the breastfeeding journey.”

Having prepared thoroughly for breastfeeding this time, including antenatal consultations with an IBCLC, Madi is experiencing much more success: “He’s definitely fed the best out of all three, which is really exciting. We’ve had a few little hiccups with some tongue ties, and so we’ve been seeing the IBCLC and a pediatric chiropractor to do some bodywork. But so far he’s by far the best baby out of all three, which is really nice.”

Now seven weeks postpartum, she’s managing her health well and enjoying life as a mother of three while beginning her career as a registered midwife. When asked if she’d consider a fourth baby, Madi laughs: “I’d love to have a fourth, but I can’t imagine looking after four kids for the rest of our lives… I love pregnancy and I love birth and if I could do Louie’s birth all over again I absolutely would in a heartbeat. I just wish that everyone who wanted a home birth could have the opportunity to have one because it was incredible. It’s honestly the best experience of my life.”

Madi’s story beautifully illustrates how subsequent births can offer opportunities to achieve different but equally positive experiences, especially with the confidence gained from professional knowledge and targeted preparation. Her journey from cesarean birth to home water birth demonstrates the importance of individualised care and informed decision-making in creating empowering birth experiences.