Hello. We are Amy & Adam. I (Amy) work as a Primary school teacher and Adam is an Aerospace Engineer. We are parents to Evelyn (10 weeks old) and Cassie the dog. We took the Happy Parents Happy Baby antenatal classes in Sheffield.
I was lucky to have a relatively problem free pregnancy and enjoyed seeing our little pea get bigger each week. Being the first in my friendship group to be pregnant was exciting but also came with the challenge of not having anyone to pass on advice, this is where I found the HPHB classes the most useful. It was great to make connections with others who were at a similar stage of pregnancy and chat about everything that we were going through! Our course leader was lovely and knowledgeable and I felt reassured doing first aid week, to know some basics before the baby arrived.
I had my baby in the consultant-led wing of Jessops hospital and found the room to be spacious and our midwife helped us to make it feel as calming and relaxing as possible.
I felt very calm and confident going into birth knowing I had learnt about all my options and had a clear idea of my preferences. I had printed out my birth preferences document and my midwives were great at reading it and helping me to achieve everything they could. I went into early labour at home and found the TENS machine and breathing techniques we learnt about really useful.
I was most surprised that after my waters broke during labour (which did happen in a big gush) that they continued to leak and gush with each contraction! I ended up using pretty much every form of pain relief and felt confident in being able to ask for what I wanted because I knew all of my options. We ended up having an emergency c-section after she turned back-to-back last minute but even then the whole team was so reassuring and I continued to use my breathing techniques to help me stay calm.
Breathing techniques: 4/5
TENS: 3/5
Gas & Air: 3/5
Diamorphine: 4/5
Epidural: 3/5
I was so worried when she arrived, anxiously awaiting that first cry and then when I heard it I burst into tears. It was the most magical sound and I felt the biggest rush of relief that she had finally arrived safely!
The first days are such a whirlwind of checks for both you and your baby, especially after labouring and birthing, women really are super heroes! My advice would be to take in all the knowledge and advice possible when you’re in the hospital and don’t leave unless you’re feeling confident about yourself and baby!
Our top triumph has definitely been establishing exclusive breastfeeding because it isn’t as easy as you would think!
The top challenge was definitely recovering from the C-section. I hadn’t realised how much I would struggle both physically and mentally losing that independence. Having a good support network around us those first few weeks was essential!
My proudest moment was seeing the weight gains at each midwife check and knowing that was because of me!
One thing I wasn’t expecting was getting anemia post birth and ending up on iron supplements.
My only regret would probably be leaving the hospital too soon. I was so eager to get home that I didn’t take full advantage of the support and electric beds in the hospital!
We have such a lovely group of mums and dads and knowing I can message at any time asking for advice and having people who are also off on maternity leave to go for walks with has been so valuable. There is always someone who has had the same experience to commiserate or rejoice with.
The birthing comb and fan were a must for me!
I absolutely LOVED my ridiculously cheesy jacket potato!
Portable white noise machine.
Baby carrier/sling!
Have a plan for every eventuality for your birth, not just your ideal scenario. Make sure you and your birth partner know all your options.
Free downloadable resources and weekly guides for your pregnancy.
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