Hello. We are Alice & Kieran. Alice is a Product Manager in PropTech and Kieran works in IT sales. We have a Cavalier King Charles called Sunny. We took the Happy Parents Happy Baby antenatal classes in Basingstoke.
The nausea in the first trimester was horrendous however thankfully I was never actually sick. The second trimester was great and in the third trimester I just had to slow down quite a lot. I’m a very active person so I did find it hard having to rest so much, but I still managed my daily walks with Sunny!
HPHB helped us learn about birth options and that it’s good to have a plan in place, but you need to remain flexible. We also learnt about life after the birth, which is really important as the actual birth is over very quickly in the grand scheme of things. No question was silly and we felt supported and listened to throughout the course.
Emergency C-section, but it didn’t feel like an emergency as we and all the staff were very calm. It was a good experience!
We live 10 mins walk from the hospital so if possible I wanted to walk there when the time came. My contractions started at 8pm and by 9pm they were coming every 3/4mins and were very intense. I quickly put the TENS machine on (as recommended by HPHB course to put on as early as possible so you feel the full benefits). We ended up driving to the hospital at 11pm where I was assessed and admitted.
My birth plan was to use gas and air, then Pethidine, then epidural if required. We were able to have an informed discussion with the midwives about the pain relief options and decided to go straight for the epidural due to the pain and frequency of the contractions. At 9am, due to issues with the baby’s heart rate and a few other factors a decision was made, with the midwives, to have an emergency C-section. I went into the C-section very calmly due to learning about C-sections on the HPHB course. Our baby was born at 10:38am and hearing her cry was magical!
Tens machine: 5/5 – used until I had the epidural and it 100% took the edge off the contractions
Gas & Air/breathing techniques: 4/5 – used while waiting for the epidural and helped give me something to focus on. My husband was able to count the breathing due to techniques learnt on the HPHB course.
Due to the C-section we were told that often babies can take some time to cry. However she cried straight away and I cried instantly. It was the most magical sound ever. They brought her round the curtain so we could see her straight away and I had an overwhelm of emotions. Me and my husband were both shaking with adrenaline and we couldn’t believe we were parents to this little baby!
We stayed in hospital for 2 nights after the C-section until I felt comfortable walking around and breastfeeding.
Due to the HPHB course I’d packed everything in my hospital bag for if I had my planned vaginal birth or if a C-section was required. So we had everything we needed on hand which was super helpful as I wasn’t able to get out of bed for 12 hours and didn’t feel comfortable walking until 36 hours after the C-section. Those first few days in hospital were the most magical bubble. The HPHB course gave us the confidence we needed when we got home to take care of our new little baby.
At 6 weeks I’m still breastfeeding, despite baby having a tongue tie, and us having thrush twice (it’s very painful!!!). I’m so proud of what we’ve achieved.
Top challenge has been breastfeeding and the lack of sleep/routine you have with a newborn! The support from my husband and being able to chat through challenges with the HPHB parents has been fantastic!
There have been 2:
First, still breastfeeding at 6 weeks!
Second, going to the pub with our baby on day 4!!
I knew there would be a lack of sleep but it really is tough! Especially in those first few weeks!
Fantastic support system. We can message at any time of the day and we meet up regularly and share our triumphs and struggles. I don’t feel alone in this.
Lucozade sport and enough baby outfits in a range of sizes. Our baby was too big for some of the outfits we had brought, so I’m glad we had other options.
The toast and endless hot chocolate the hospital provided. It was a Tuesday when our daughter was born, so of course we got Dominos!
Muslins. Muslins. Muslins.
Nappy caddies. We have one downstairs and one in our bedroom and it means we have everything we need for the baby in one easy to reach place.
Have a very rough birth plan but be open to anything. Also do as much research as you feel comfortable with everything for those first six weeks after the birth for you and your baby.
Free downloadable resources and weekly guides for your pregnancy.
Enter your postcode to find your nearest Happy Parents Happy Baby antenatal classes
