Hi. We are Pia and Ivan. Ivan is a psychiatrist and Pia is a writer and copy editor. In our spare time, we enjoy being out in nature and attending live action roleplay events. We took the Happy Parents Happy Baby antenatal classes in Welwyn Garden City.
Everything about my pregnancy was different to what I expected. I expected to take a few months for me to get pregnant but I conceived the same month I had my IUD removed. I expected to suffer terribly with nausea and food cravings, but my first trimester was more marked by early pelvic girdle pain. I thought Braxton Hicks contractions could only happen towards the end of pregnancy, but I occasionally had them from week 20 forwards. I thought my fragile body image would struggle with my big pregnant belly, but I actually felt beautiful.
HPHB came at a time when my pregnancy still somehow didn’t quite feel real. By the end, not only did it seem real, but I was also excited to give birth. I felt well-informed about the choices I could make, which became vitally important when my baby’s arrival turned into an emergency situation. Everything I learned from HPHB helped me stay calm and make the right choice for myself and for my baby.
When I tell people my birth story they often tell me that it sounds like it was difficult time. It was, but it would have been much harder if I hadn’t learned so much from HPHB. When my labour took days to progress and my baby’s heart rate was not picking up after each contraction, I was able to accept the offer of an abdominal birth graciously, knowing that I had tried very hard, but that this would be the best for her. Even though I hadn’t planned to bring my daughter into the world that way, I knew what to expect thanks to HPHB, and it was a joyful occasion.
Upbreathing, 5/5. I did it the whole way through labour and through my birth to stay calm.
Bath, 2/5. All it did was make me damp and angry, but the warmth was nice.
TENS, 4/5. Helped, but after a while, the effect seemed to fade.
Gas and Air, 3/5. Was fun for around 8 hours, but eventually seemed to fade in effectiveness.
Epidural, 5/5. Took away all the pain and let me progress from 3cm to 7cm in about an hour after I was stuck at 3 for ages.
I remember her being lifted over the drapes and feeling an absolute rush of excitement to get to know her.
I was recovering from an unexpected abdominal birth, so I don’t remember much other than my husband bringing me the baby every time she was hungry. He would bring her to me crying and I felt so sad for both of us. It was very hard to start breastfeeding because I couldn’t hold her comfortably. I ended up expressing milk with a pump for the first few weeks of her life. HPHB had given my husband all the knowledge he needed to help look after our baby in those early weeks whilst I was recovering.
Getting to the point where I can exclusively breastfeed my baby. We had a rough start, but now, in her 11th week of life, we’ve made it.
Recovering from the C-section and waiting for my Lochia (bleeding) to stop. Took 9 weeks for me!
Deciding to get the C-section when my daughter’s heart rate was decelerating and not picking back up rather than continuing to push, even though I was feeling fine after my epidural and was progressing well.
They’ve helped me get active again as I heal from the C-section, and we have some fun baby activities planned for the summer.
TENS machine and snacks. All grabbed from Boots. Also, microfibre towels! I was able to dry myself so quickly after my first shower, and it was much more comfortable to sit with my hair wrapped in one of those than a traditional towel.
A whole watermelon – I had gestational diabetes, so I hadn’t been able to have any for months!
Nappy backpack – we keep it packed and grab it on the way out of the house.
My Medela Freestyle breast pump – I struggled to breastfeed while healing post C-section. My pump was the only way I managed to keep supply while healing. I still don’t have the best supply, but I’m happy to say that my kiddo is exclusively breastfed for now.
Don’t get too attached to a particular vision of what your pregnancy and birth experience will be like.
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