Hi. We’re Sasha and Harry. Harry is a Sports Coach and Sasha is a Corporate Solicitor. We are parents to Ronnie (3 months) and we’ve got 3 cats Louie, Loki and Laslo. We took the Happy Parents Happy Baby antenatal classes in Andover.
My pregnancy was a very mixed bag. However, looking back, it could have been a lot worse. All was well in medical terms and we had no issues, however the first trimester and the third trimester really got to me. I commute an hour each way to work and my morning sickness hit every morning of my first trimester without fail. There were times that I really thought I would have to pull over on the M3 to be sick! I also really struggled to watch my body change and grow. By the third trimester, I was so big and so swollen that the only shoes I could get on were flip flops!
However, the second trimester was absolute bliss. I felt cute and with my bump starting to look more like a bump and not just like I’d eaten a rather large lunch, I felt incredibly maternal and I think that is when the excitement really set in – I was going to have a baby! From the second trimester onwards, it was full steam ahead in terms of baby preparation. We completed the purchase of our flat in my third trimester and I spent my last weeks decorating the nursery in a panic! I was absolutely determined to have the nursery ready for the little boy’s arrival! Thankfully we managed to get it done just in time. Our baby boy was sitting on the 93rd percentile and so we were prepped by the midwife for the fact that we would likely have a rather large baby – although it wasn’t guaranteed.
Ronnie was born at Winchester Hospital and the staff were absolutely fabulous. Ronnie swallowed some meconium during birth and so had an infection which was picked up super quickly by the staff. The support we had in the days after his birth was fantastic. The midwives even took Ronnie for a bit while I slept as I was rolling into day 3 with no sleep at all!
I was in labour for around 16 hours in total. My first contraction was around 9am. However, it was a pain in my back so I just assumed that baby boy was laying on a nerve. Throughout the day, I had more back pain and was convinced that this wasn’t labour because the pains weren’t in my belly like a period cramp! However, after timing my pains, I decided that this probably was labour and so I called my mum and my partner who both swiftly left work to support me. I laboured in the bath until we decided to make our way to hospital! When we got there, they told me I was only 3cm and to go home and I would progress quicker at home. Boy were they right! After a quick McDonald’s dinner, I was back in the bath by 7:30pm. The contractions remained in my back and never moved to my belly at any point!
We were back in hospital by 9pm and was told I was 7cm. I had originally wanted to use the pools for pain relief however, I couldn’t bear the thought of lifting my leg to get into the pool so I laboured on the bed instead. I was encouraged to use the TENS machine, however because the contractions were in my back, it just made the pain worse for me. After 3 hours of gas and air, I was told it was time to push and to put the gas and air down. I was shocked by this and thought that it was rather counterintuitive. Surely I need this the most now? However, the midwives were so supportive and guided me through pushing. I didn’t expect to have so much guidance and support in terms of what pushes to do and when.
Baby boy was finally born via vaginal delivery just before 1am. To my surprise the baby weighed a healthy 9lbs 10oz and I didn’t need any stitches! I was absolutely amazed. Having the birth I did honestly made me feel like a superwoman. It’s incredible what our bodies can do!
Breathing definitely helped control the pain in early labour and so was a 4/5. However I’m pretty sure that went out the window when I started pushing!
TENS machine was a 0/5 as this just made my back contractions worse. However I do think it would be useful for normal contractions!
Water was a 5/5. Couldn’t recommend this enough. Helped immensely.
Gas and air was a 4/5. Nice to have some medication but I did feel a bit out of it at points!
Comb was a 4/5. What a wonderful distraction!!!
I was completely overwhelmed and I honestly think I was in a state of shock. I knew I was pregnant and I knew I was literally having a baby but I just couldn’t believe I had just given birth to a tiny human. I still can’t wrap my head around it to this day! I think I was also rather relieved that both him and I were okay and that there were no major birth complications.
I wish I could say that I took to motherhood like a duck to water but that wasn’t the case. Due to Ronnie’s infection, the first night after he was born, I couldn’t wake him up to feed and that was starting to worry the hospital staff and me! I tried everything HPHB taught me, including breastfeeding and various holding positions. Ronnie certainly made up for it after that because the subsequent nights, I barely slept because if he wasn’t feeding, he was pooping and so I was changing nappies.
As my birth was pretty straight forward, my recovery was minimal, however I still used all the HPHB tips and tricks to ensure that I was on top form to look after my baby. The first few days were a blur for me but I was so grateful to be taking home a happy and healthy little boy after our short stay in hospital. That’s when all the real HPHB tips and tricks were used.
Breastfeeding for sure. I wasn’t sure if I would be able to, as my mum wasn’t able to due to her low milk production but thankfully I’ve not had any issues and Ronnie latched straight away and has not looked back. He does have a bottle of expressed milk before bed now, but he took to this with ease and so since that first night, I’ve never had to fight to feed him.
Being able to function with huge sleep deprivation. Harry is incredibly supportive and we ended up doing shifts for the first few weeks so that we could both get some solid sleep. However since Harry has returned to work, I’ve picked up all the night feeds and that’s been really tough. Especially when he hits his growth spurts and developmental leaps and he wakes up every hour.
Giving birth to a happy little boy with very little pain relief and no complications or stitches. I’m so grateful to the midwives as this is 100% because of the guidance they gave me during delivery.
I wasn’t expecting such a big baby. I had packed newborn clothes and 0-1 month clothes, however even the 0-1 month clothes were tight on him. I had to send Harry home to get some 0-3 months Sleepsuits and baby grows
I wish I would have pushed myself to get into the pool at the hospital. I feel like that would have certainly eased the contractions during the last few hours.
We now meet weekly for coffee and/or walks. We are able to talk openly about the struggles of motherhood and have passed each other some helpful tips and tricks along the way. It’s so nice to have such a fabulous support network with babies that are a similar age to mine.
The largest maternity pads you can find!
Italian BMT subway sandwich. I missed having cured meats during my pregnancy. Especially since some of my pregnancy rolled into summer.
Reusable breastmilk storage bags. These have been absolutely fabulous and don’t make me feel guilty about killing the planet every time I use them.
Changing table. I have changed Ronnie on the floor, on the sofa, on the dining room table, however the changing table has been the best thing for my back. It means that I no longer bend over and pull a muscle in my back while changing a nappy.
Take the HPHB classes! The first session really opened our eyes as to what to expect when you go into labour or have a C-section. I felt so much more prepared after that session. Our host Bea was fabulous and so warm and welcoming. She made asking questions feel natural and not awkward or silly.
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