Healing, Bunnings, and a Surprise Freebirth – My Second Baby’s Arrival
“Working through the birth of our second child, just my partner and I, will be a special moment we will forever share together.”
After a traumatic hospital birth with my first child, I knew I wanted something different the second time around. Something calm, supported, and on my own terms. I was planning a homebirth with my midwives, and had everything prepared: the birth pool, the TENS machine, and a deep trust in my body.
Labour started slowly. A few days of mild, inconsistent contractions eventually gave way to a more familiar pattern and by Wednesday morning, they were 10 minutes apart and building steadily. I knew this was it. Labour Day.
Still, there were errands to run. I popped into Bunnings (sausage sizzle included, of course), drawing a few curious looks from strangers as I quietly worked through contractions in the aisles. After that, I headed home for a proper lunch and settled in.
As the day wore on, the intensity built. I strapped on the TENS machine and breathed through each wave. By 7pm, I called triage. They advised me to wait a little longer before calling the midwives, as my contractions still weren’t quite close enough together.
By 8:30pm, everything had changed.
The sensations were intense — fast, full, and unmistakable. I called back, and they sent the midwives. The pool was full, warm, and waiting. My midwife, however, lived an hour away. And this baby was not interested in waiting.
I climbed into the water and felt an instant shift, a release of tension, a knowing. My waters broke in the pool, and just 30 minutes later, our baby boy was born.
It was just me and my partner. No midwives. No guidance. No noise. Just the two of us.
He caught our baby in the water and gently placed him on my chest — just as the midwives walked in the door.
What could’ve felt chaotic somehow felt calm. This birth gave me everything I needed. Trust. Peace. Power. Closure.
“To work through this birth, just my partner and I, will be a special moment we will forever share together.”
Sometimes birth doesn’t go to plan — and sometimes, it goes exactly how it’s meant to.
