A positive vaginal labour: Ella’s birth story
Ella is my first baby so, I had no idea what to expect. Everyone was lovely. I felt relaxed and well looked after. I was with community midwives so I had the same midwife throughout pregnancy and birth. She was great and happy for me to bombard her with questions any time.
I opted for a water birth at my local hospital's birth centre. In total my labour was around seventeen hours with five hours of active labour. I found early labour the hardest part, it wasn’t as painful as the main event just excruciatingly long. In the end my birth plan went out the window and I couldn’t have a waterbirth. I’m glad I did the preparation though, the breathing techniques helped to put me in the right frame of mind.
The birth itself was quick with no interventions or complications. I opted for pethidine, which gave me the headspace to focus on my breathing and listen to the instructions of the midwife.
Once Ella was born, my partner Andrew and I did skin to skin. After the birth, Ella and I were moved to another birth suite to recover.
I was happy and exhausted but had no idea what to do so, I hung out with Ella and waited to be given the all clear for us to go home. In hindsight I could have done with some shuteye but didn’t want to take my eyes off Ella’s little face!
Andrew works from home and this has been so positive. It makes such a difference knowing I can get a hand whenever I need and he enjoys the extra time with Ella. Breastfeeding was difficult at first. My milk didn’t come in until right away and so I had to express into a syringe to feed Ella for the first two days. I was exhausted and getting to grips with my new role as Mum, the combination of not being able to feed Ella made the whole process very stressful. Amazingly, on the third day we just clicked. It took a few more days to get our rhythm down pat but she has been feeding very well ever since - I’m glad I persisted as breastfeeding has been a lovely bonding experience. I like knowing that I can easily calm her down when she is unsettled.
Attending the HPHB course was so useful. Getting an overview of the types pain relief options was priceless. Up until that point I didn’t have any idea what kind of birth I wanted. I’m a worrier by nature, so the First Aid lessons were right up my alley and staying connected with the other parents on the course has meant we can share experiences and tips.
Top Tips:
Put your feet up and rest
Don’t exhaust all of the Netflix watching options - you’ll need them for the later night/early morning feed!
Start stocking up on food for your freezer
