We are Sophie and Liam. I am a nurse and Liam is an estate agent. We have 2 cats called Jasper and Charlie and a 3 month old little girl conceived via IVF called Polly. We live in Aylsham Norfolk. We took the Happy Parents Happy Baby antenatal classes in Norwich.
The pregnancy was relatively straightforward until the last few weeks when I developed preeclampsia. Although I felt fine they were worried about the impact on myself and the baby. I was anxious for a lot of my pregnancy as we had waited so long for our miracle baby I was terrified something would go wrong. I felt mostly physically fine. The 2nd trimester was lovely, the 1st and 2rd were challenging with nausea and tiredness but I feel I did have an easy ride compared to some people. HPHB helped me and my husband prepare for the birth of our daughter by going through birthing options, offering practical baby care tips and advice and also provided a network of other parents to be in the same boat. We have created a lovely bond within the group and are still regularly in touch.
The birth of our daughter was certainly not what we had planned and happened very quickly. I had an emergency C-section. The staff present were kind, caring and compassionate as well as highly trained, but it has taken a long while to process what happened. Our daughter was also born to one of our favourite bands songs. It was surprising just how quickly it all happened. One minute I was being monitored for preeclampsia and the next day she was here.
Due to the nature of the birth I wasn’t able to really use any of these techniques other than the breathing to calm my anxiety.
I felt overwhelmed and grateful to have her here safely. I was still worried for my own health though and the fact she was so small.
We spent the first 4 days in hospital as Polly would not take to breastfeeding so we decided to bottle feed and after that and when we finally got her home it was a much nicer experience. I feel I fell into a lot of it naturally which surprised me. My recovery from the C-section was very quick. I felt completely fine after about 2 weeks. The safe sleep guidance and practical tips from HPHB helped me feel confident when dressing my baby in the height of summer.
Overcoming that initial postpartum anxiety and being able to pump breast milk to feed my baby.
Polly has CMPA so that has been difficult to navigate and make sure my concerns were listened to.
Seeing my girl hitting all the milestones early and smiling knowing I am doing everything I can for her.
Just how little sleep I can function on.
That I didn’t push harder with midwives to have a vaginal birth.
They have all been so kind and knowing we are all going through the same things helps.
Maternity pads and shorts pjs as the hospital was hot.
Chippy tea.
Highchair from birth to adulthood- our baby loves it and it means we can all eat together.
Nappy caddy and play mats.
Don’t put too much pressure on yourself for everything to be perfect and the way you planned. Lean on others for support you will need them.
Free downloadable resources and weekly guides for your pregnancy.
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