Hi, we are Catherine and Dave. Catherine works in mental health and Dave in engineering. We are parents to 5 and a half year old Emily, baby Charlie (now 8 weeks) and two cats, Bella and Coco. We took the Happy Parents Happy Baby antenatal classes in Tonbridge.
I was lucky to have a fairly straightforward pregnancy up until a late chance discovery of gestational diabetes at 37 weeks! Being a second time parent HPHB helped me to remember all the things I had forgotten from the first time round, particularly around the birth and led me to consider options that I had not realised were available to us.
In hospital. We were very lucky that each family has a private room for postnatal care and the staff were lovely!
The HPHB course led me to realise that despite having had a straightforward natural birth first time, that I could still choose an elective c section if I wanted. It was a decision based on lots of different factors that felt right for our family circumstances 5 years down the line!
Despite having a C-section, I still found techniques that helped me stay calm.
Breathing techniques 5/5 – for the cannula and spinal block.
Calming music playlist 4/5 – this helped give a focus during the procedure and kept me feeling calm.
Overwhelmed! Nothing compares to that feeling of seeing your baby for the first time!
The first days were a blur. I knew the recovery would be challenging so gave myself permission to rest in bed and we had some lovely family time in bed as a 4. The HPHB course reminded me of the importance of skin to skin in those early days.
Resting during the early days and seeing the benefits in the speed of my physical recovery.
Getting to know a new little human and figuring out what works for them. Juggling the attention needed for two children has also been harder than I imagined.
When my daughter came to the hospital and met Charlie for the first time.
That Charlie would not be soothed by the same methods as my eldest!
We meet up weekly and have regular chats on WhatsApp which has been a great source of support.
Big comfy pants for post birth!!
Takeaway pizza ordered to the postnatal ward.
We’ve had lots of lovely blankets so there is always one to grab when needed!
Moses basket that we can easily move around the house for naps or to be hands free for a few minutes!
Try to go with the flow and remember everything is a phase!
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