Published: Thursday, 25th June, 2009 9:00am

New mum speaks of delights of home water birth

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Occasionally the press highlights stories of women giving birth in their kitchens, but it"s rarely planned that way.

But for Lena Mason from Belcoo that"s just the way she had wanted it all to happen. Less than a fortnight after the birth of her first child, Willow Aoife, Lena is speaking of her delight at having a home water birth, in the kitchen of the home she shares in Belcoo with her husband Neal.

Generally the advice is for first-time mums to have their child in hospital and if all goes well and is low risk, they could consider having their second at home.

But Lena felt it was most important to have her first child at home, where she would be relaxed, in control and therefore felt she would be less likely to need intervention. 'The first birth was most important for me to have at home. It sets a precedent for every other subsequent birth,' she said.

Lena, who is an animal behaviourist, had a very healthy, low risk pregnancy. She had also done extensive research into the birthing process and was confident in her choice in having a water birth at home. When she went into labour at 38 weeks, she had already purchased her birthing pool and other essentials.

It was on Saturday, June 13 that her waters broke in the early hours of the morning. Experiencing no pain, she continued through the day, and called the maternity ward at the Erne that evening for advice. Midwifery Supervisor, Mary McLoughlin, attended her at home that evening and Lena agreed to go into hospital for a check-up. The examination at the Erne showed her to be having contractions every three minutes.

She returned home and by the time Ms. McLoughlin arrived at 2.30am, she was ready to get into the birthing pool, which had been prepared by Neal. 'Whenever I had contractions I kneeled up in the pool and in between I lay back and bobbed,' she said. The baby"s heartbeat was monitored at regular intervals. Another midwife arrived so that two could be present for the birth. Lena is full of praise for the excellent midwifery care she received.

Her decision to have a home birth hinged on having a low risk pregnancy and being so close to hospital should an emergency arise.

'I needed to play a part in the birth. I needed to be in control and wanted to be part of the process and be fully aware of it. I wanted to remember it and enjoy it. That is a natural birth. We have been doing it for centuries and the body knows what to do,' she said.

'I was very well prepared and I knew exactly what was going on. I had done my homework which I think was the most important thing. A lot of problems arise for mums when they do not know what to expect. Anything can throw a curve ball at any time. If you are at least as much prepared as possible and aware of everything and aware of your body and the natural process, birth is quite enjoyable,' she said.

She said it was important for labouring mothers to know the symptoms of each stage of the labour and know the signs if things may be starting to go wrong.

'I think you can have confidence that your body knows what it is doing. You do not have to be clever -- your brain goes out the window. Your body is geared physiologically to know what to do,' she said. The atmosphere was very relaxed. 'It was quite upbeat'.

The buoyancy of being in the pool was the vital element for her. 'You are weightless. You are heavy and you are hot and going through contractions and this elevates you. When you have aches and pains, you gravitate to water, why not utilise it for birth? You have got the freedom to move and you can go from back to front,' she said.

She said she experienced 'pressure' as opposed to pain and felt her husband Neal was a vital help at the birth. 'At a lot of births, husbands are excluded and it is unnatural for them to leave a newborn and their partner to go home after the birth,' she said.

Neal was able to hand Willow immediately to her mum after she was delivered and the baby immediately began to feed. Willow was born at 5.40am on Sunday, June 14. 'We were in bed wrapped up with tea and toast soon after,' Lena said.

Later that day Willow, who was seven pounds and two ounces, was introduced to her delighted grandparents on Skype.

Willow is a very contented baby and maintained her birth weight and continues to gain weight.