Dancing into birth; Aaron’s Peaceful Arrival
Written by Debrah, a mama who journeyed with us at the Babymoon Retreat in March 2025.
A story of trust, intuition, and the magic of home birth When I think back to the night Aaron was born, I’m filled with such gratitude for how perfectly everything unfolded. It was our third baby, and while my first two births had ended with emergency ambulance trips to the hospital due to Preeclampsia complications, I was determined to try for a peaceful home birth again.
The evening it all began It was an incredibly hot summer evening - around 28 degrees - and after a day with my youngest daughter (my oldest was at school), I was more than ready to relax. My little one was tucked into bed, my husband was watching Padel on television, and I was finally able to sink into the couch and just breathe. Pregnant in that kind of heat is no joke; sweaty, exhausted, and desperately need those moments of rest. I was trying to cool down and unwind when, around 9:30 in the evening, I started feeling some stomach pain. It was different - a little heavier than the usual pregnancy discomforts. Is this it? I wondered. Or is it just another false alarm?
A week before Aaron’s due date, I’d been feeling nervous about the possibility of developing Preeclampsia again, just like with my previous two births. But tonight, something felt different. I felt calmer, more centered.
Trusting the rhythm
Within minutes, the contractions were coming every 4-5 minutes. I knew then - this was really happening. Sand was still in my hair and between my breasts from the day at the beach, but suddenly that didn’t matter anymore. “I think we should turn off the TV,” I told my husband, “and put on my playlist.” But first, there was something important I needed. “Could you light the candle?” I asked him. We had agreed on this, it was something we’d learned during the magical Babymoon Retreat with other women in Ericeira. The moment that flame flickered to life, I felt a deep sense of ritual and connection.
That playlist was everything to me. I’d spent weeks curating the most beautiful yoga and meditation music, listening to it regularly in preparation for this moment. As soon as those familiar, calming melodies filled our living room, I felt myself settle into the rhythm my body was creating. I started walking. Around the living room, sometimes stepping outside for fresh air, then back inside again. My body knew exactly what it needed, and I trusted it completely. With each contraction, I focused on my breathing: in and out, in and out.
In my own sacred space
Around 10:30pm, my daughter woke up, and my husband went upstairs to settle her back to sleep. This gave me even more space to go deeper into my own birthing rhythm. I was completely in my element now - walking, breathing, moving however my body called me to move.
At one point, I found myself near the kitchen, and I started moving more freely, almost dancing a little with the contractions. It felt so natural, so right. In that moment, I was struck by the incredible power of my body, how amazing it was that this was the third time my body was doing this miraculous work. The pride I felt was overwhelming. Here I was again, my body knowing exactly what to do, opening and creating space for new life.
The magic of letting go
I wasn’t fighting the contractions or trying to manage the process, but I was dancing with it, breathing through it, trusting completely. When my husband came back downstairs around 11 o’clock, he could see how deeply I was in my zone. “Should we set up the bath?” he asked gently. Yes, I knew that warm water would be exactly what I needed, just like with my previous birth. He called our midwife while preparing the bath, and she arrived around 11:30pm. Even with her there, I stayed in my sacred bubble. She understood completely, letting me continue my walking, my breathing, my own internal rhythm without interruption.
Aaron’s gentle arrival
By 11:55pm, the bath was ready. “Deb, would you like to come in?” my husband asked softly. The moment I stepped into that warm water, I felt the shift. My body was ready. I could feel Aaron coming, and I had the urge to push. What I loved most was that there were no measurements, no unnecessary touching, just pure trust in my body’s wisdom and timing. My husband was right there beside me, holding my hand. “Deb, you can do this,” he said, his voice full of love and confidence while holding my hands. Those words, his steady presence, his hand in mine, it gave me exactly the strength I needed. With two powerful pushes, I welcomed Aaron with my own hands into the world. Our little one, eyes wide open, dark and alert, looking straight into our souls. No crying, just this peaceful, knowing gaze as he took in his new world.
The power of love & support
Aaron’s birth was magical in every sense. From those first contractions to his peaceful arrival, it was less than three hours of the most incredible dance between my body and my baby. But I know I couldn’t have done it without my husband’s unwavering support, without that music that grounded me, without the atmosphere of our beautiful home, and without the foundation of our loving family. All of these elements came together to create the perfect space for Aaron’s gentle entrance into our world, with my daughters sleeping peacefully upstairs, completing our family circle.
For the third time, my body had shown me its incredible power. That healing and growth are possible. Despite the challenges of my previous births, my body knew exactly (again) how to do this.
