07/09/2026
A whirlwind birth story sent in by Dominique who came along to my pregnancy yoga classes in Dartford. After a speedy labour she ended up giving birth in her car! Swipe to read the full story.
If you would like support preparing for birth I offer pregnancy yoga on Mondays at 7pm in Dartford, and Saturdays at 10am in Darenth. My next group hypnobirthing course is also available to book, which is happening on Tuesday evenings in November, 7-9pm (3 of the 6 spaces have already gone) 💕
Birth Story of Mayowa – Faith in the Journey
I’m a first-time mum and I was offered additional appointments from the start of my pregnancy due to my medical history. Thankfully, both baby and I remained healthy and my pregnancy was uncomplicated.
One of the best things I did during pregnancy was attend pregnancy yoga, which I started at around 24 weeks. Looking back, I only wish I had discovered it sooner. Alongside yoga, I stayed fairly active throughout my pregnancy, enjoying swimming sessions and walks.
I hoped for birth centre for low medical intervention, with a calm environment for Hypnobirthing /breathing techniques. The hospital agreed to put me onto the birth centre with precautions to reduce risks.
I continued attending pregnancy yoga right up until my 40th week. Then, on my due date, things began. At around 3:30 p.m., my waters broke.
At that point, I wasn’t experiencing any contractions, but after speaking with the maternity team, I was asked to come into Darent Valley Hospital so they could confirm that my waters had indeed broken. We arrived at the hospital at around 5 p.m. and stayed until around 7:30p.m as there were others waiting too. During that time, the midwives confirmed that my waters had gone and checked baby’s heartbeat, which was perfectly fine.
During the hospital appointment, I began to notice quite mild contractions. We were sent home at this point.
After leaving the hospital, my husband and I decided to grab a Chinese takeaway. One of the World Cup football matches was on that evening, so we made the most of the calm before things became more intense!
We got home after 8:45pm and sometime later my contractions gradually started to intensify. I took to the bath which was helpful for managing the contractions. I spent at least an hour in the warm water, focusing on the breathing techniques.
My husband was incredible throughout my labour. Alongside the bath, I used a wooden comb and a spiky massage ball, squeezing them during contractions as a form of distraction. As labour continued, I needed to get out of the bath and be more active to manage the contractions.
One thing I hadn’t anticipated was how quickly my labour was progressing as the pain could be managed. I had bought a TENS machine in preparation for labour. Unfortunately, I had completely failed to learn how to use it beforehand. As simple as it probably was. I had absolutely no interest in me or my husband trying to figure it out haha!
As the Tens machine was out the window, by around 10:50 pm., I began thinking that some gas and air and settling into the birth centre might be a helpful next step. My husband called Darent Valley Hospital and the midwife agreed I come in for assessment.
In the short time it took me to walk from our bedroom to downstairs, I suddenly felt an intense urge to push. Within minutes, everything had changed.
Out to the car we went. During the ten-minute drive from our house to the hospital, with no midwife present and no time to stop, after 2-3 intense pushes I reached down and brought my baby into the world at 11:14pm. While my husband remained calm, ensuring baby was OK and made sure that we safely reached our destination.
Our beautiful son, Mayowa, cried and I tucked him underneath my nightgown for skin-to-skin contact while somehow still wearing my seatbelt. Together we completed the remainder of the journey to hospital.
When we arrived, my husband told reception that I had just given birth in the car. Within moments, a maternity team had come out to greet us. I felt that everything was under control. The staff were absolutely incredible as always.
As expected because Mayowa had been born in the car, we were taken to the delivery suite for assessment. I didn’t require stitches. There was no excessive blood loss and my placenta delivered without injection.
Most importantly, Mayowa was completely healthy and well.
My husband cut the baby’s cord. We were able to continue skin-to-skin contact during the golden hour, and Mayowa latched for breastfeeding. We left the hospital the next day.
I am so grateful to God for Mayowa’s birth story. I never expected that breathing techniques and movements learned at pregnancy yoga, water, and the support of my husband would be all I needed to manage the sensations of labour. And I definitely never imagined that I would bring my son into the world with my own hands.
Sometimes the most unexpected path turns out to be exactly the right one. But would I choose to give birth in a car again?! Definitely not intentionally!! Although I have joked that next time I might just opt for a home birth instead!
