The sanctuary was shut as no one was there. I had said I was happy to have the sanctuary birth and also to try the pool birth. When I came into hospital I was given a room on labour suite which I thought was very clinical and when they said they would find another midwife for sanctuary I was really happy. Katie was fantastic when she came to introduce herself and examine. She was gentle and talked through all she was doing. She was also understanding of my needing to go to pass urine a lot and waited.

On sanctuary, they showed me around and then provided me with lots of thoughts on things we could do and encouraged us to stay mobile and upright. They were thorough with the monitoring and allowed a holistic approach. When the pains got more painful, Katie was there with ideas and helpful with the tens machine when we didn't know how to set it up. They (Katie and another nurse) offered analgesia and explained why PR paracetamol was better to consider than Oral. I was so grateful for the knowledge and explanation. Also, they listened to me and when I said that I wasn't keen on having analgesia they took that on board and offered it at multiple times when the situation changed. I found the back massage that Katie introduced one of the best things ever. It felt amazing and was even better than anything else I had tried. She was really supportive and verbally they were both extremely encouraging.

They were both present and I felt safe and that baby was well looked after. I felt they knew what was going on and had my best interest at heart. They communicated really well and gave all the options. They were really friendly to chat with too. We tried the mat, the ball, and different positions on the bed and they were there to give all the suggestions. When I moved onto the gas and air, they helped with the pain and how to use it. I mentioned how after taking it that I felt woozy and they were reassuring and instantly had done my observations and kept making sure I was okay, even with all this going off and I wanted the toilet. They explained all the options and offered examinations and I felt like it made it a really pleasant experience.

They introduced the next nurse when they were handing over and even she was fantastic and made sure I was safe in the pool when I felt really sleepy and was very encouraging throughout and when the baby was coming. She was reassuring when I got scared and anxious and panicked in the pool, and then after the baby was born and before the placenta came out and after. It made the whole experience wonderful and I felt that they had read my whole birth plan and went over it with me before and they made sure I was able to get what I wanted. Overall I would say I had a really pleasant labour experience.