12 February 2026 – Home birth

You, your parents, and I had an evening appointment before your birthday. We weren’t entirely sure whether you had ruptured your amniotic sac at noon the day before or not. To be certain, your parents took you—still in the womb—to the university hospital for a brief examination. Conclusion: it probably wasn’t a rupture after all. Take a breath, go home, rest.

Whether that was a rupture or not, only you know. The next morning, however, your birth began quite clearly with powerful contractions. Around lunchtime, I was able to join you. I finished setting up the pool that your dad had started, covered the sofa with protective sheeting, and assessed your situation.

Your mama was breathing through intense contractions in a hands and knees position on your bathroom floor. Your dad was holding, massaging, praising, and whispering motivating mantras in your mama’s ear. Your heart tones were wonderful and the cervix was already half dilated. As soon as there was enough water in the pool, your mama got into the water. This, along with the reassurance that the cervix was already dilating, gave her calm and strength. I could still see a little midwife worry on her forehead, because you weren’t as deep in the pelvis as she would have liked. That small concern vanished when you made a huge leap of progress at the next examination. I was simply amazed. What a wonderful team the three of you are.

I was simply there, regularly checking your heart tones. Everything else you three did on your own. Your second midwife, Andrea, gradually joined us, just before rush hour traffic. Your dad went out briefly to walk your dog. Your mama moved from side to side into the hands and knees position and back, powerfully pushing you toward the exit. And then your head was born. With the next contraction, it became clear that something was still in your way. I felt your little hand—you were holding it against your cheek. When the arm it belonged to was born first, you followed, and your mama lifted you out of the water onto her chest. There, held by your parents and admired, you slowly arrived in this world.