We are Lucy and Nic, parents to Zachary (4 months old). Lucy is a Chemistry teacher and Nic is an Emergency Doctor. We took the Happy Parents Happy Baby antenatal classes in Kingston.
We had a challenging pregnancy with really bad morning sickness. Things improved in the 2nd trimester but at our 20-week scan there was an abnormality in the baby’s bowel which was very stressful. Luckily, many tests and scans later, nothing serious was detected and baby is healthy and well! By the 3rd trimester I was physically exhausted, being a teacher. I was getting out of breath teaching my lessons and couldn’t wait for baby to be out!
Kingston Hospital on the labour ward. The labour ward wasn’t my preference, but due to the risks with a premature baby and premature rupture of membranes, I didn’t really have a choice as I wanted the safest option for baby.
My waters broke at 34+2 weeks, and I was admitted to hospital for monitoring. I relaxed on the ward and got some decent rest, which was a nice contrast to being at work but I had no idea what to expect. Contractions started slowly a few days later, but it took about 24 hours to ramp up in intensity. When I was 7cm, I was taken to the labour ward.
Nic and I were doing our practised hypobirthing breathing and it was amazing how much it helped with the surges. After several hours on the labour ward, the obstetrician was called and wanted to hurry things along, so Zac was born using forceps and episiotomy. With the epidural, it wasn’t too bad, and all I could think about was how excited I was to meet my baby. Even though he was born 5 weeks early, he was very strong and now he’s a big, bouncing, healthy bubba.
HPHB was incredibly helpful, especially explaining the process of labour to us, and the concept of hypnobirthing. It opened up a whole new world to me, where I didn’t need to feel afraid of labour.
Breathing techniques 4/5 – helped you get through the surges mentally.
Positions (peanut ball) 3/5 – took pressure off certain parts of the body.
Epidural 4/5 – great pain relief but also had to have a catheter and found this quite stressful, also gave me the shakes!
It was the most surreal moment of my life. Amazed and relieved!
It was a complete blur and I was on a massive high so I couldn’t sleep! Being prepared for the rush of hormones was very useful. Because our baby was premature, I didn’t feel prepared for all the medical intervention that was required (baby needed a cannula for IV antibiotics and UV treatment for jaundice), so found that really difficult. The birth recovery info that we covered was really useful as it helped with my expectations and I was pleasantly surprised rather than trying to push my body too quickly.
Managing to breastfeed despite many challenges with this.
Breastfeeding has been much harder than expected, mainly due to tiredness in the early days.
Bringing Zac home.
Just how much the joy completely outweighs the negatives (sleep deprivation, hormonal mood swings etc).
That I didn’t push to breastfeed from the moment he was born, as this created big challenges further down the line with milk supply.
Weekly walks and honest chats to reassure each other.
Postpartum pants!
Sushi was a real treat.
Food for us (home cooked meals work wonders).
The toy bar that hangs over his moses basket gives us 10 minutes of baby distraction so we can get things done!
Do all your preparation and research in the second trimester when you have the energy, including packing your hospital bag incase baby comes early!
Free downloadable resources and weekly guides for your pregnancy.
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