She woke up at 4.30am to contractions that were a minute on and a minute off from the very start. Polly had two fast, positive births. Her first at the NHS midwife led unit in Bristol, where she arrived fully dilated and had her daughter within the hour. Her second at home, where within two hours of the midwives arriving she was back in her own clean bed with her baby.

Polly is a mum of two from Bristol who shares two fast, positive births. Her first was a planned midwife led unit birth that moved so quickly she arrived fully dilated and gave birth within the hour, with nothing but a TENS machine and her partner doing counter pressure on her back. Her daughter came out in the superwoman pose, hand by head, which caused a second degree tear and significant blood loss during stitching. What followed was a difficult breastfeeding start because of tongue tie, and nearly three months of pain before things finally settled.

Second time around, Polly chose a home birth purely for practical reasons. After a first labour that lasted barely three hours, getting to hospital safely was never going to be guaranteed. So she planned for the home birth instead. She woke up in the early hours during a storm, laboured quietly in bed, got her daughter to nursery, and by quarter to ten that morning her son Jacob was born on their bed. Two midwives. A TENS machine. And within two hours they had left and Polly was back in her own clean bed with her baby.

In this episode we talk about:

• What it is like to arrive at hospital fully dilated as a first time mum and give birth within the hour
• How Polly managed two fast labours using only a TENS machine and counter pressure
• Why she chose a home birth second time for logistics rather than atmosphere and how that decision played out
• A difficult breastfeeding start with tongue tie and what finally helped
• What the postpartum really looks like when you have a fast birth and why the recovery is still real even if the labour was short

This episode is for anyone whose first birth was fast and who is trying to figure out what that means for next time. Polly planned for the home birth. And it was exactly the right call.

The stories shared on British Birthing Stories are real, personal experiences from real women. I am not a medical professional and this podcast is not a substitute for medical advice. Every pregnancy and birth is different, and I always encourage you to speak to your midwife or doctor about your own individual care.

British Birthing Stories shares real, unfiltered stories of childbirth in the UK, from pregnancy and labour to postpartum recovery.

These stories reflect personal experiences and should not be taken as or replace medical advice. Always seek guidance from a qualified healthcare professional.

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