THE parents of a toddler who witnessed the birth of his baby brother have described the special family event as 'a truly magical and emotional experience'.

Two-year-old Walter Brown, from Colne, unexpectedly woke up in the middle of the night on May 5 to find his mum Georgia in labour during a planned home birth.

Not deterred by the idea of seeing his mum giving birth, the two-year-old stayed by her side throughout the night as they welcomed baby Roland into the world.

Speaking about the family experience, Ms Brown said: "When Walter realised what was happening, he did not want to go back upstairs but wanted to stay and watch.

“He began encouraging me and shouting: ‘Push Mummy, Push!’"

Ms Brown and her husband Michael decided to plan a home birth for their second child after Walter was born at the Lancashire Women and Newborn Centre at Burnley General Hospital.

The 26-year-old said that despite having a great experience at the hospital, it appealed to her much more to stay at home where she would have everything close to hand in a familiar environment.

The mum-of-two also added that she wanted her first son in the house at the time of the birth.

She said: "When everything happened at the time it did, I thought Walter would sleep through it all and wake up and see the new baby in the morning.

“But instead he saw Roland actually being born.

“We hadn’t considered having Walter at the birth but when it ended up happening, it was so magical and special.”

Ms Brown, who has several friends who have had home births, used 'EMPower for Birth' audio downloads to prepare herself for labour.

The downloads, which are provided by the East Lancashire Hospital NHS Trust, allow women and their birthing companions to use hypnotherapy relaxation from the comfort of their own homes.

Georgia said: “It talks you through imagining connecting with your baby.

“You can listen to these audio's while you are pregnant to prepare for the birth and then during labour for relaxation."

Baby Roland was born on May 5 weighing 7lbs.

Speaking about watching his baby brother being born, Walter said: "Mummy had a pain in her tummy and then Roland wasn’t in her tummy anymore!"