We are Matt and Katie. We’re both Occupational therapists working in the NHS. We’re new parents to our little baby girl Lily-May (3 months). We took the Happy Parents Happy Baby antenatal classes in
Altrincham.
For the most part my pregnancy was straightforward and I really enjoyed it. I used to get really excited about the antenatal visits with the midwife so I could hear the heartbeat. It gave me reassurance that everything was on track. I suffered with nausea and vomiting until about 16 weeks which was tough going and the sleepless nights were far from ideal. Saying that though, I remained quite mentally/ emotionally stable throughout and had great support from family. Each week we would look forward to finding out which milestone our little bean had achieved and what size fruit she was. HPHB gave us a well rounded idea of what to expect during labour and I found the questions from everyone else in the group really helpful. This sparked conversation around topics I hadn’t even thought about.
Wythenshawe hospital. I found the setting amazing. The labour ward made it feel so relaxing with multicoloured lights and soft music to help get the oxytocin flowing.
I felt prepared following the classes in terms of knowing what to expect during labour and focussed a lot of my time around hypnobirthing techniques. We watched some videos and discussed how to identify when labour has started. The course also gave me a really good understanding around when birth doesn’t go the way you plan & helped me feel prepared for the unexpected situation.
Overall the birth was the most amazing thing I’ve ever experienced. I found the first half of labour very tough due to nausea and waiting for pain meds while I was too early on. I wanted to start off in the birthing centre which I gave a go for a few hours so I’m very proud of myself for that. HPHB taught me a lot about pain relief and making informed decisions about my care. Once I moved across to the labour ward and received some fluids, the epidural and other pain relief, I could enjoy the process a lot more. I really enjoyed pushing, it was as if my body knew exactly what to do in the moment. Despite needing an episiotomy and forceps to assist with the delivery, I was surprised by how calm I remained during it all.
Myself and Matt focussed a lot on breathing techniques such as box breathing. He led this to keep me focussed during contractions, 4/5.
TENS- I would have been lost without the tens machine. It gave me something else to focus on by pressing the button to turn on prior to each contraction. Although I did start to forget to turn it off once the contractions ramped up. 3/5, as it was amazing for the start of labour until 4cm, then didn’t have much use.
Diamorphine- 5/5, helped as soon as I got to the labour ward. I felt very spaced out from this though but I didn’t mind as I was exhausted by this stage (had been awake nearly 24 hours at this point).
Epidural- 5/5, best thing ever.
I felt overjoyed and excited. I think there was an element of shock that she was finally here after all of the prep.
We found the first few days amazing just being in our little bubble at home. HPHB taught us what was normal for newborns so we knew what to expect during those first few weeks. The course focused a lot on feeding which gave us the confidence in choosing what way was best to feed our baby. It also concentrated on recovery and what items are best to buy to prepare for post birth. Can confirm I used all of these tips.
My top triumph has to be breast feeding my daughter. I did a lot of prep work to ensure I was educated & had community support around achieving this. Once I got through the first week, it became so rewarding and I believe it helped me to bond with Lily-May.
The cries during the witching hour have been very challenging. She seems to become quite fussy from about 7pm until bed which myself and Matt both struggle with. It’s taught us to have a lot of patience.
Getting to introduce Lily-May to both sets of grandparents. Seeing them interact with her has been amazing.
I wasn’t expecting to be able to power through with the lack of sleep. Now I’m delighted if I get more than 4 hours in a row and consider it a full night’s sleep.
I regret not taking enough videos to look back on.
I have made lifelong friendships from this course. We have a WhatsApp group for the whole course and then a mothers only chat where we can all message one another. It’s especially helpful during night feeds knowing others are also awake. It’s great for sharing ideas and experiences and is a great laugh at times hearing some of the stories about the babies! As we are local we meet up weekly for walks and lunches which makes the weekday feel a little less lonely. There’s also been a dad meet up and regular group meets which are great fun.
The tens machine was the most useful item.
I had Oreo’s in my bag from the labour and they were amazing post birth while I was sitting on the post delivery ward.
The most useful gift we received was the nuby rapid cool. It has been a saviour when she is screaming for a bottle and we need to cool it down quickly while on the go.
The most useful gift we received was the nuby rapid cool. It has been a saviour when she is screaming for a bottle and we need to cool it down quickly while on the go.
You can never have enough muslins! Also the Love to Dream Swaddle saved us in the first few weeks and helped her to sleep as she was waking up from the startle reflex every 20 mins.
Go with the flow each day and don’t focus on routines or what other babies are doing/ social media will tell you. This will help you to relax more and enjoy being a new mum, trust your gut. Each day is so different. Listen to advice from professionals, allow some advice from family & friends to go in one ear and out the other. They will always have their opinion whether it’s wanted or not.
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