Hello. We are Hannah & James and we are parents to Delilah (age 2 months). We took the Happy Parents Happy Baby antenatal classes in Lyndhurst.
I was lucky enough to have a relatively smooth and enjoyable pregnancy until the end. We loved HPHB for the confidence it gave us to start our parenting journey and the friendships we developed along the way. We particularly enjoyed the practical sessions where we could put our skills into practice, such as swaddling and first aid.
Bournemouth – wonderful facilities and staff.
I went into spontaneous labour at 39 weeks. My waters broke late in the evening on a Sunday and light cramps started, which quickly progressed into more regular (mild) contractions. I’d expected to have more time at home before going into the hospital, however my labour got going quite quickly and I only had relatively short gaps between contractions, even in the early stages, so I went into hospital around 3am. I was 3cm dilated when I arrived and enjoyed the birthing pool and some gas & air whilst my partner played music and chatted to me.
My contractions continued to come close together and I quickly progressed to 6cm, which was a little overwhelming at the time (thinking I was still in the very early stages!), however looking back, I think my body just laboured quite quickly. I think it’s important to go with the flow and not have too many set expectations around labour, because everyone’s body and experience is so different. I asked for remifentanil at that time, as my preferred pain relief, and was moved to the labour ward to have that administered via IV. I had the most incredible midwife and student midwife, who really listened to my preferences and brought lighthearted humour and positive encouragement, alongside my supportive partner.
The patient-controlled pain relief was super effective for me and I would go as far as to say that this part of the labour was relatively enjoyable! I still experienced some discomfort, but it was manageable and everything felt quite calm, unlike the dramatic scenes I often see play out on One Born Every Minute! By Monday morning I was 10cm dilated and encouraged to start pushing, which I was able to do in a variety of upright positions such as standing/squatting. Unfortunately the baby took a few hours from then to make her appearance, but the midwives were so encouraging and never lost their faith in my ability to push her out unassisted, which I did! I felt so supported during this time and went away feeling positive and empowered.
I started with the birthing pool and gas & air, and progressed to remifentanil via IV. HPHB helped me to feel informed and empowered around the available pain relief options, and I also appreciated the time to sit and formulate a “pain relief plan” that I could share with my partner beforehand. I also found it empowering to have conversations around birth expectations and possible interventions so that we were on the same page from the start.
When I went into hospital we were both clear on my preferred options and this alleviated so much stress! I would have happily considered the epidural if the other options hadn’t been sufficient for me at the time. I also enjoyed learning about the positive impact of gravity and alternative birthing positions which I implemented during my delivery (including labouring on the toilet!)
Meeting our baby was the most awe-inspiring and emotional (yet somehow natural!) experience of our lives. We started singing to her once she was passed over, and she calmed right down, latched on and fed at the breast. Just wonderful!
We were so besotted with our bundle of joy (and still are!) and spent copious hours just cuddling and staring at her! I think I’d imagined I would immediately bounce back to my pre-pregnancy self, but I learnt to be gentle and patient with my recovery. Each day got a little easier, but I’d say it took me a good couple of months to feel “back to normal” (or the new normal!).You don’t need to put pressure on yourself to get back into a busy routine or to have everyone around to visit straight away. Just enjoy your bubble and let yourselves rest.
In the early days our baby didn’t like being put down in her crib and had some reflux, so we struggled to get much sleep, but we soon learnt that things change so frequently that it wasn’t ever worth worrying too much about the immediate!We got through by taking shifts at night and experimenting with alternative sleep spaces (moses basket / next to me crib) as well as reading through the safe co-sleeping guidelines on the Lullaby Trust, and before we knew it our baby had started to develop a nighttime routine and we were able to put her down at night. The breastfeeding positions and latch advice we’d learnt in HPHP were so useful and helped us to get off the ground with feeding (although it still took some time to fully establish – which is fine and normal!) I’ve learnt to trust my body, trust the process and ask for help when I need it.
I felt so lucky to have such a positive birth experience and to deliver my baby in the way I’d wanted to. We’ve just loved every minute of being parents. Even when it’s hard work or we’re tired, we’ve worked together as a team to troubleshoot and work out a way forward.
Early on Delilah lost more weight than ideal and we were readmitted to hospital for support, which was so stressful at the time, but through a combination of pumping and structured feeding, we were supported to get back on track.
It’s hard to explain how incredible it is meeting your baby and getting to know them. Every day I feel proud of her and her developments; from babbling and cooing, to starting to grasp objects!
I think we weren’t expecting breastfeeding to be so difficult in the early days; despite knowing the tips and tricks, it took time, work and perseverance for it to become a more established experience. I think I also wasn’t expecting the frequency of feeding with my little one often feeding every 20 minutes to 2 hours even now! In the very early days, it was important for us to regularly wake Delilah for her feeds as she was too sleepy to cue for a feed herself as often as she’d need one.
We’ve made such great friends at HPHB and it’s been great to have other parents at the same stage as us to ask questions and share experiences and advice with.
Postpartum knickers! So comfy and easier than sanitary towels.
A fruit smoothie from the hospital cafe! (And a massage a few weeks later!).
A travel changing mat.
Our colour-changing night light! Touch activated, so handy!
Trust your body and your partner and be open to adapting. I think “go with the flow” is my new mantra!
Free downloadable resources and weekly guides for your pregnancy.
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