Wendy Gregory served as her daughter Mia's birth partner during a labour that involved a sepsis test and a ventouse delivery. The experience, she says, was simultaneously the most exhilarating and frightening of her life.
A Sepsis Scare Triggers Fear
During labour, Mia's heart rate spiked, prompting the midwife to take a blood sample to check for sepsis. Gregory recalls the terror on her daughter's face and her own pounding heart. 'The urge to do something – anything – was overwhelming. But all I could do was keep reassuring my daughter,' she said. The test came back negative, providing temporary relief.
Agreeing to Be a Birth Partner
In 2024, Mia announced her pregnancy and later asked her mother to be her birth partner, explaining that her partner might struggle under pressure. Gregory accepted, seeing it as a chance to strengthen their relationship, which had seen disagreements. She also felt sorrow that her own mother, who died when Gregory was six months pregnant with Mia, never saw her grandchildren.
Navigating Health Anxiety and Birth Plans
Throughout the pregnancy, Gregory reassured Mia, who suffered from health anxiety. Mia's birth plan favoured minimal intervention, avoiding an epidural. Gregory advised her to keep an open mind. Labour began on Boxing Day 2025, and Gregory arrived at the hospital to find Mia anxious and her partner pale.
The Intensity of Labour
Gregory watched her daughter in agony, feeling helpless. She used breathing exercises and distraction, while internally battling her own fear. When she suggested an epidural, Mia refused angrily, but later accepted when the midwife proposed it. After full dilation, Mia pushed for 90 minutes but couldn't continue, leading to a ventouse procedure.
'I felt sick with fear – until you hear the baby cry, anything can happen,' Gregory said. The delivery succeeded, and Gregory will never forget Mia's face as she held her baby girl at 5:30 am. The obstetrician was also moved to tears.
A Mother's Pride and Reflection
Gregory felt exhausted but proud. She said the experience reinforced her instinct to protect her family. 'Acting as my daughter's birth partner was, simultaneously, the most exhilarating and frightening experience of my entire life. But I would do it again in a heartbeat.'
