Hello. We are Emily and James. We’re both civil servants (but that’s not how we met!). We’re parents to Leo. We took the Happy Parents Happy Baby antenatal classes in Walton on Thames.
Early pregnancy involved lots of evening nausea (whoever named it morning sickness was mistaken) which wasn’t pleasant. As the pregnancy progressed I had a lot of lower back pain and discomfort, particularly at night. It was a time of huge adjustment as well as I got used to my old identity being replaced with often just being seen as a bump. It was something I struggled with quite a lot.
We didn’t find out the sex of the baby so it was really exciting to speculate for nine months who would be joining our family. The most important thing we wanted to get from the HPHB course was meeting new friends as we didn’t have a local support network. I definitely feel like we have one now! The sessions themselves were really informative, particularly the sessions focused on birth and first aid. We found that really helpful.
In the labour ward. We didn’t have any other option, which actually helped the decision-making process! Although it would have been nice to have the birth centre as an option, we didn’t have any complaints about being on the ward.
Not exactly what we had planned! I woke up in the night bleeding quite heavily so had to call 999. I’d never called an ambulance for myself before so it was a new experience right from the start. I was 37 weeks by that point and we were really glad we had the bags packed early. At the hospital I got started on the oxytocin drip and Leo came into the world the next morning. The options we’d gone through at HPHB were really helpful, especially the BRAIN acronym which helped us decide what to do during a time of stress.
Epidural: 5/5 – now we’re talking. Instant relief and I honestly couldn’t have done it without it. I only wish I’d asked for it earlier!
I know I was just so relieved he was ok, and it was amazing to find out together that we had a little boy!
He had jaundice so needed to be under the blue light for 16 hours. We just wanted to go home with him and start our new lives together.
The practical skills we’d covered in the course were really helpful – the nappy changing, how to tie a sling and swaddling. We needed to know all those things virtually straight away.
Getting through the extremely tiring and anxious first few days and weeks to now feel relaxed and (am I allowed to say?) much more confident in what we’re doing.
Breastfeeding. I wish I’d been able to be kinder to myself as I felt so much pressure but it definitely got better after a lot of persistence.
There’s been so many – establishing feeding, getting into a good night routine, eating one handed while feeding him! But the real pride comes when he smiles back at us – it’s the most beautiful thing I’ll ever see.
Mastitis. Probably the worst birthday present I’ve ever had.
Putting so much pressure on myself that it actually affected bonding with him in the early days.
We’ve got a really lovely group and it’s so nice to know that the WhatsApp chat is always open for advice. It’s now so great to meet up with everyone and hang out with all the cute babies!
Headphones. Essential to block out the noisy ward and for entertainment while you’re waiting for things to happen.
Hot chocolate. It’s always been my go-to treat.
All the new mum things my lovely friends gifted me, especially the pyjamas with buttons down the front and pockets. So useful during the night!
Love to Dream swaddle bags. SO much easier to pop him in and out of them at night, and he sleeps so well in them.
Have those bags packed early! We were so convinced he’d be arriving late (as per every single other family member) that our early arrival was a big surprise. Be prepared and ready for things to happen earlier than you might anticipate.
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