Chantel woke at 3:15am with mild contractions, unsure if she was dreaming or in labour. Just a few hours later, surrounded by family, midwives, and the soft glow of a Christmas tree, she welcomed her baby girl at home in a calm and empowering water birth.
Chantel welcomed her baby girl at home in a calm and peaceful water birth surrounded by her partner, family, and midwives. After two previous hospital births, this experience felt completely different — and incredibly empowering.
“I woke at 3:15am to some mild contractions. At first, I honestly thought I was dreaming them — maybe because I so badly wanted my baby earthside.” After going to the bathroom and seeing quite a bit of blood, Chantel realised things were starting to progress.
“I went to wake my partner and asked him to start setting up the pool. He promptly fell back asleep 😅 while I headed back to the bathroom.” Knowing her previous births had been very quick, she called triage to let them know she was in labour. “I explained that my previous births had been very quick — so to expect another call soon.” Her midwife was on annual leave over Christmas, so another midwife was organised to attend.
Not long after, her partner got started on the pool and, as Chantel says, “between him and my mum, they did an amazing job.” While the pool filled, Chantel ran a bath and laboured there while they finished setting everything up. When the midwives arrived, they helped her mum and partner prepare the space for baby’s arrival.
“My contractions were beautifully spaced, and the environment felt incredibly calm.” The lights were dimmed, the Christmas tree glowed softly in the background, and gentle music played.
“When the pool was finally ready — it felt like ages, but was probably only about 20 minutes — I got in. As soon as I did, my whole body relaxed.” The difference was immediate. “The contractions felt easier, and I wasn’t straining like I had been in the bath, gripping the edges and tensing every muscle with each wave.”
“For the first time my entire pregnancy, I felt light.” Chantel describes the moment her body simply took over. “My body just knew what it was meant to do.” Baby stayed calm throughout the labour too. “Baby stayed calm the whole time — no stress, no elevated heart rate — just me, breathing deeply through each contraction.”
“I was in the pool for about 40 minutes. Four pushes later, my baby was here — earthside, exactly where she was meant to be.” Her beautiful baby girl was born at 6:49am. “A short and steady entrance to this wild world!”
When Chantel reflects back on the birth, what stands out most is the calmness of being in her own space. “The calming nature of being in my own home, birthing my placenta on the couch while snuggling my baby girl.” There was no rushing or disruption. “How stress free it was being at home, having everything I needed in arms reach and being able to climb back into bed when it was all over with.”
One of the biggest surprises for Chantel was that she didn’t tear this time around. “The water really does help relax your body and help you through every contraction.”
She also remembers feeling incredibly empowered, especially after having two previous hospital births. “Empowered. Knowing that my body really does just take over.” Even though she had been very sick with a cold before labour began, something shifted once things started. “I was so sick with a cold before I went into labour, my body just shut it down and knew I needed to breathe again.”
Compared to her hospital births, the experience felt very different. “I remember them telling me when to push, telling me not to even though I felt I needed to… going from laying in a double bed, to struggling to get myself into a wheelchair mid labour to be moved to a single bed so they can check baby’s heart rate.” This time, she says it felt like going “from feeling like I don’t have much control to knowing I had complete control at home.”
When asked what she would say to someone planning their birth right now, Chantel shared this: “Home water birth is amazing!! Even if you’re not keen on the idea of being at home — a water birth at the hospital would also be beautiful. Obviously every situation is different, every mum’s body is different; their baby has their own plan to enter the world. But it’s definitely worth considering ❤️”
Chantel hired a birth pool through Earthside Australia, helping create a calm and supportive space to welcome her baby girl earthside.
