Hi. We are Sophie and Richard. We are parents to Clemmie (age 2 months) and Mabel the dog. We took the Happy Parents Happy Baby antenatal classes in Bristol.
I was lucky enough to have a mostly straightforward low risk pregnancy. In the final few weeks I had increased monitoring for possible preeclampsia due to proteins being detected; that was a bit scary but I was very grateful for the hospital’s risk approach and the extra monitoring / scans meant I got to see my baby more in those final weeks.
St Michael’s Hospital, midwife led unit. The room had a large bed, pool, mats, beanbag and fairy lights which were all perfect for hypnobirthing and a physiological birth and the midwives were excellent in supporting the same. I followed the midwives’ recommendations and advice which all helped achieve a very positive, powerful birth.
I was fortunate to have a relatively quick and straightforward birth. My contractions started around 5.30am and our baby girl arrived just before midnight. To start with, I thought I just had a new pregnancy ache and went back to sleep, when I suspected it might be something more I stayed calm and tried to carry on as normal, having some breakfast etc. I set up a comfy space at home where I used my exercise ball and practiced hypnobirthing. I began tracking my contractions and, after 2 hrs, the app consistently said I was in active labour. I spoke to a midwife at the hospital who was very supportive and said to keep in touch and call back when the contractions were more intense. As the contractions built, I had some paracetamol and a TENS machine which really helped. Things got more intense and I couldn’t hold back the pain (cue lots of groaning), we called the hospital again and they told us to come in. We got to the hospital around 2pm, and they confirmed I was already 6cm dilated – I was very surprised because, save for the contractions, I had no other symptoms of labour / that my baby was ready and I had been convinced she would arrive after her due date.
We were taken to the midwife led unit (MLU) which was fabulous for hypnobirthing. Initially, I continued with my TENS machine and exercise ball but then we moved to the birth pool for a while and I switched to using gas and air. The warm pool was lovely and the weightlessness in the water helped the baby to move down. I followed the midwives’ recommendations between moving from the pool to bed a few times, to optimise the final movements. After what felt like the most exhausting experience, our baby girl arrived just before midnight. HPHB gave me the knowledge and confidence to understand each phase and follow my instincts.
Up breathing 5/5 – used this the most throughout, it helped with the pain and to ground me, it was something my partner could help with too.
Paracetamol – 1/5 – this was really my only pain relief, it might have helped but I was still in a lot of pain.
Tens – 5/5 – this helped me a lot at home and in hospital.
Water – 5/5 – the warmth and weightlessness was very comforting.
Aromatherapy – 3/5 – this helped me at home and to draw back to hypnobirthing practice.
Incredible and surreal! I couldn’t quite believe that my actual baby had arrived and that I was holding her. It took a few minutes to set in and to overcome the intensity of delivery.
The practical baby care skills we learned with HPHB have been invaluable, from nappy changes to sleep. The course also gave us the confidence in following our instinctive approach and when to ask for help. That said, nothing can quite prepare you for the intensity of recovering from labour whilst also caring for a newborn.
After months of research and preparation, being able to deliver a healthy baby through a physiological birth.
Breastfeeding! I didn’t realise it would be such a learning curve for baby and me. We almost had to stop after 2 weeks because of the pain, but a combination of silicone nipple shields and extra midwife support got us through.
Introducing our baby to the family.
I wish I’d savoured my last bit of ‘me time’, now everything is on a baby time clock!
My HPHB friends have given me confidence in getting out and about with my baby, which can be daunting to start with but is a lot easier when everyone is on the same page.
TENS machine.
Boost bar!
High chair with a newborn attachment = hands free dinner time.
Our changing mat, which sits on top of the crib, saved my back – you don’t quite realise how much time you will spend changing nappies.
Be kind to yourselves and each other. The first few weeks are life changing and very intense but soon you’ll get into a rhythm with easier feeding and more sleep. The time does fly and it’s not long until the giggles and smiles make it all worth it.
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