We are Lucy and Alex. Lucy is a Teacher and Alex is a Software Engineer, who works from home and looks after our bouncy Red Fox Labrador, Juno. We took the Happy Parents Happy Baby antenatal classes in Cambridge.
Pregnancy was an incredibly special but also a challenging time. I loved bonding with my baby in my tummy and dreaming of the day we would finally meet him! However, I struggled with Hyperemesis Gravidarum throughout my pregnancy, and was vomiting right up until the day our baby was born!
I found having a community of other pregnant women on the course SO helpful and supportive. To catch up each week on what our bodies were doing and share in our excitement was really special. The most exciting part was feeling my baby move for the first time. I’ll never forget that first tiny, butterfly tap on the inside of my tummy!
We had our baby in the birthing centre, using the pool to labour, but needed to transfer for the final stage. I found this setting felt safe, supportive and perfect for my husband and I’s first birth!
I was in labour for 12 hours, the first 3 of which we did at home. The course prepared us brilliantly for using hypnobirthing techniques. My husband helped turn our bedroom into an oxytocin paradise, with my favourite candle, music and cards with helpful phrases to focus on during contractions. We had a pregnancy ball, which the course recommended, which was my best friend in early labour! All of this meant that when we arrived at the birthing centre, I was relaxed and felt in control.
We were 5cm dilated on arrival! I was very relieved that we didn’t have to go back home again. I did most of my labour in the birthing pool, keeping the lights super low, using gas and air for pain relief. The course had helped me understand all my pain relief options and whether they would impact the baby, empowering me to make the choice I felt comfortable with. I knew the positions that would best help me labour, as did my husband, so he could support me amazingly throughout the labour.
At 10cm, my beautiful baby got stuck and started to become distressed. The midwives and doctors were amazing, and they cared for us brilliantly. Eventually, after an episiotomy and a ventouse, our gorgeous baby boy, Archie, was born. The course had helped us understand the hours following birth, the importance of skin to skin (which we did for four hours afterwards, as I was on a drip and so had to stay put!), and how to care for my own body.
Breathing techniques 4/5 – gave me control and helped me manage pain and intensity of contractions.
Gas and air 5/5 – whilst making me feel quite high (and say some rather amusing things), I wouldn’t have been able to do it without this pain relief!
Water 5/5 – very helpful for pain relief, comfort and being able to move around in labour.
Positions 3/5 – the contractions were so intense during the end, that I found it hard to hold my body weight up at times. I listened to my body and just followed the positions it felt most comfortable in.
What an impossible feeling to describe. I felt so complete, finally holding the baby I had been waiting for for 9 months. We kept our baby’s gender a surprise, and so finding out he was a little boy and knowing he was out was utterly magical. I felt so happy and relieved that he was safe and in my arms. I’ll never forget that moment, it was the best moment of my whole life.
The first days were truly magical and also very tough! I didn’t sleep for the first 36 hours, having had a physically intense labour, and so this was the most sleep deprived I had ever been. However, the love I had for my baby completely overpowered this and kept me going. The course had prepared me for safe sleep, caring for my body, breastfeeding and protecting our space. They were truly magical days. My episiotomy left me with very bad bruising, so sitting and lying down were uncomfortable. My husband supported me so well, helping me stand and manoeuvre around. He also helped us get discharged quickly, so we could get home as a family.
My top triumph is breastfeeding my beautiful baby. The other mums in my course have been invaluable in supporting me and each other as we’ve adjusted to feeding, and after some persevering at the start, my baby and I love breastfeeding. It’s the most special parts of my day, and I feel so lucky that we are able to do it.
Physical recovery after labour was very challenging. I felt like I had been hit by a bus! All you want to do is sleep, yet that’s the last thing you can do, so it feels very difficult! But your body is incredible and does heal, it just takes patience!
I’m just so proud of my baby. Every little detail on his face makes me proud. His smile, his cheeks, his perfect nose. He makes me so deeply proud, I often feel emotional just thinking about him!
I wasn’t expecting the physical connection I feel to my baby to be so strong. I never want him out of my sight!
Support, shared experiences, questions, advice, laughs, community. We are all still meeting up regularly and they are a special group of people to me.
Disposable underwear with pads built in! Best recovery item!
Warm shower with special shower gel I packed for that very moment!
Muslins and a frozen lasagna.
Baby carrier. Baby wearing is the absolute best thing.
Listen to your intuition. There’s a lot of advice out there, but remember you know your body and your baby best!
Free downloadable resources and weekly guides for your pregnancy.
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