A positive c section: Aurora’s birth story
My pregnancy went really well. I was nauseous during my first trimester but I think that’s very common. I found the resources that we received on the course - the hospital bag checklist and the manual - really useful. The birth preferences document is the one we took in our notes to the hospital.
My contractions started at around 10pm, I tried to go to bed but they started ramping up and so Guy used his contraction timer app to keep track of them. In the meantime, I listened to one of his guided relaxation recordings, which I found really funny! At around 5am we decided to go to the hospital. After being triaged I was ‘only’ 2cm dilated, however they let me stay.
The contractions became increasingly intense and I was struggling. I was offered paracetamol, then codeine, had a shower and still wailed like a banshee! As I was approaching 4cm, I was given gas and air, which was incredible and I started bouncing up and down on the birthing ball, half naked.
My contractions at this point were really intense. Guy was absolutely incredible during the whole process, keeping me comforted and as calm as I could be in the circumstances, feeding me to keep my energy up and just being there to experience the whole process with me together as a team.
I was offered pethidine, which hadn’t featured in my birth preferences and I had been keen to avoid, however it was a really great decision as I was able to get some rest. When I reached about 8cm dilated I decided to have an epidural (again, which hadn’t featured in my birth preferences) and once it was in and working, it was a godsend. However, I wasn’t producing enough oxytocin to get to fully dilated, so I then had to go on a Syntocin drip.
All of these things required Aurora to be monitored by a CTG, through which we discovered that her little heart rate dropped twice, the second occurrence of which resulted in the room suddenly filling with doctors and midwives and before we knew it, we were being advised by senior consultants and obstetricians for Aurora to be born via caesarean section. Guy and I looked at each other and immediately knew it was the right thing to do. It was terrifying!
At this point, EVERYTHING written on my birth preferences was thrown out of the window. I was in uncharted domain but the theatre was pretty much how I expected it - bright lights, lots of medical staff and very hospital looking. Not ideal, however I tried very hard to stay as calm as possible.
The caesarean section procedure itself was a weird sensation like the anaesthetist described, like someone tugging and pulling at me in my belly area, not painful, just strange and distant. Guy was by my side the whole time, and a few short minutes later the drape was lowered and I could see her for the very first time, covered in a bit of blood and other uterine gunk. A few seconds later, 24 hours after my contractions had started, I heard her little cries.
I was almost too scared to touch her at first, too scared to believe it had finally happened. I cried out of relief, exhaustion and sheer overwhelmed-ness. I burst into tears… I had become a mummy.
Feeding was difficult and painful (at times) at first. It was an entirely new skill to learn however I persisted and used the knowledge I had learnt from the breastfeeding session on the course and it’s now going really well.
The safe sleeping information that we learnt was also really relevant and useful.
We woud definitely recommend the Happy Parents. Happy Baby. course. We loved the fact that we met up in a pub(!) and that the sessions were delivered by a crack team of experts really sets this course apart. Due to the way that our birth unfolded the obstetrics session was so useful and helped us make decisions when the time came. The midwife session was also really useful and reassuring as was the baby first aid demonstration.
Susie & Guy’s Top Tips:
Stay flexible and keep an open mind.
Persevere – breastfeeding was painful to start with and a poor latch led to painful nipples, however if you persevere it does get better. The same goes for the sleep... we are gradually getting used to having less of it!
Take your own pillow and food/snacks to the hospital! The NHS tikka masala is the last thing you want to be eating while in labour!
