A positive c section: Oliver’s birth story
Trigger Warning: Miscarriage
I had previously lost a baby at 18 weeks and so I did have feelings of anxiety during my pregnancy, however the pregnancy itself was quite straight-forward. I found the resources that we were given to us on the course really helpful in terms of preparing for the arrival of Oliver. I loved the birth plan, the hospital bag list and the course manual. The Amazon shopping list was also really helpful; before having it, I was feeling overwhelmed with all information I had read online and in books, but having something that's recommended by other mums helped a lot. I also tuned into the yoga classes and they relaxations on the Happy Parents Happy Baby Instagram channel, which really helped during labour in terms of breathing and keeping a positive mindset!
I was 6 days over my due date and had been trying lots of things to get labour started naturally! But none of them worked - Oliver was ignoring his eviction notice! I had developed gestational diabetes, which I was managing with my diet and so my team recommended that I be induced using the balloon method, however this became very painful and so after two hours it was removed. I tried to stay active to see if the balloon had had any effect and mild contractions started but after a couple of hours they stopped. At this point the midwife broke my waters and this seemed to really help things get going but still the contractions were not coming regularly enough and so it was suggested I be given the Synitocin drip and it was at this point I had an epidural.
The epidural really helped with the contractions; however, I was experiencing really intense back-pain, which was just as strong as the contractions had been. It seemed that Oliver had got into a back-to-back position and because I could no longer be active and move around to try and find a comfortable position, I was really uncomfortable. I relied on my hypnobirthing breathing and positive affirmations but I didn’t dilate past 5cm for nearly 12 hours. I was tired, couldn’t eat and was really lacking any energy. I was feeling really frustrated but Ricardo helped me stay strong and think positively. My team suggested a cesarean section and gave us all the benefits and risks of the procedure. Because of the Obstetrics session on the course, we were really well prepared for what a cesarean section would involve. I am not a big fan of hospitals and have never had any surgery, however because we were well informed, I wasn’t frightened by the experience and so I could just focus on the safe arrival of Oliver. We also knew that we could ask for the drape to be lowered. Our team at Chelsea and Westminster hospital were wonderful and very supportive.
The first time I saw my baby, it was such a mixture of emotions! I was like WOW – you’re my son! I was so happy and so relieved.
Having a newborn can be challenging and actually working out how to hold the Oliver comfortably was the first thing to overcome! The Baby Care session on the course meant that we felt well prepped on the different reasons why he might be crying, feeding him and how to change nappies. The First Aid session was also so helpful. After a feed Oliver vomited and then seemed to be choking and because of what we had been taught I knew had to deal with that scary situation.
We would absolutely recommend the HPHB antenatal course – in fact, we already have! When researching other antenatal courses, they seemed dated whereas Happy Parents Happy Baby seemed modern and bespoke – and it was! I also loved that they Hypnobirthing and First Aid were included in the price.
Top Tips:
Don’t panic! Try to always stay calm. This is the case for both labour but also looking after a newborn
Seek support from your midwives for help and advice with breast feeding. My latch wasn’t great when Oliver was first born and feeding was very painful, however the midwives advised me as to how I could improve this and we’re now feeding really well.
Stay open-minded about your labour – that way you won’t be disappointed if your birth preferences don’t work out
