A positive fast labour: Lenu’s birth story
It was my first pregnancy and I really enjoyed. I didn't have any major issues. In the last few weeks of pregnancy I had pelvic girdle pain, which made it very difficult to walk, even though my belly was extremely small.
I exercised throughout the pregnancy, several times per week and even on the day that I went into labour. I really believe it helped to keep me energised and have a quick labour.
I attended the Happy Parents Happy Baby course two months before my baby was due. What we learnt on the course helped to ease some of the worries I had about giving birth. I was happy with my baby in my belly, but I was also extremely scared of the act of giving birth naturally. They were very thorough with all the details... like ALL THE DETAILS of everything! And I have to say that I never expected so much transparency about it, it was very helpful and it truly eased my anxieties as I felt more prepared. Prepared for the good and prepared if anything hard or unexpected happens. I knew my options and how to react.
The overall birth was better than I expected. The contractions started at 10pm and I stayed up all night working through my breathing. They started to become really intense around 4am and I woke up my partner at 6am to go to the hospital. He was mentally prepared as well and had downloaded the cab app as advised by HPHB, the cab was there a few minutes after. We arrived at the hospital at 7am and we had our baby girl in our arms at 10am.
I was given gas and air when I arrived and asked for an epidural. The birth went well and very fast but I suffered 4 days of intense headaches after the birth and had to have a small intervention: a blood patch to close the hole created in the spine, this stopped the headache.
I was aware of the epidural procedure and all the risks as I had asked all my questions to the HPHB obstetrics doctor. Therefore, I was quite prepared and sure of my choices and how to address them. HPHB encouraged us to make sure our birth partner could voice our choices and desires if we couldn't. They told us as what to bring to the hospital for the delivery and for the days at the hospital - the midwives were quite impressed how organised we were! We had a small luggage and a bag - super efficient.
The first moment I saw my baby was everything I ever wished for since I’ve been born was in my arms...I can't really explain it.
The first days were hard and we were struggling with breastfeeding, which wasn't going very well. However, we had help from family, which was a real blessing as it meant that I could sleep a little more.
HPHB mentioned something that I will always remember - taking the time to do a baby moon. Do not worry about cleaning the house, doing the dishes, doing the laundry...stay in bed, sleep and wake up with your baby. Take the time to get to know each other - your loved ones should take care of the rest.
I would definitely recommend the HPHB course. When I compare the knowledge we acquired during these few days with HPHB compared to my friends that went to the NHS antenatal classes, I had way more information. I was more prepared and I had all the amazing resources with all the information necessary for the first few months with our baby. As well, HPHB prepare you for the administrative part when you give birth, with all the phones numbers, addresses etc. It was a blessing to have such guidelines, it definitely made everything less stressful.
Top Tips:
Don't rush things at the beginning... I know everything feels quite emotional, you might feel sad and overwhelmed but don't forget that Happy Mama = Happy Baby, so be selfish with your wellbeing.
Rest and ask for help, always.
Don't be silent (and cry if you need to)!!
