We are Ellie & Hassan, Ellie is a nurse and Hassan works in banking. We are parents to 3 month old Louie and Betty the cat. We took the Happy Parents Happy Baby antenatal classes in Cheadle.
Pregnancy felt pretty rough, I had bad morning sickness until 16 weeks. Then I had borderline high blood pressure and a placental issue meaning I needed growth scans in my third trimester and home blood pressure monitoring. This all meant I was quite anxious. As the pregnancy progressed and the scans were going well I started to feel more relaxed, and with the start of the HPHB course I began to feel more excited than anxious. It was really good for me to meet other expectant parents and speak to other people whose journey had been less than smooth to give me perspective and reassurance.
Hospital – I found it to be calm and the staff were amazing.
Due to my issues during pregnancy my team and I decided an induction on our due date was the best course of action. I was extremely nervous about induction but the most helpful thing I found was reading the positive induction birth stories on HPHB website. I found most of what friends/family told me about induction was negative and I wanted to go into hospital with a positive mindset. I made no birth plan as I felt I couldn’t predict what would happen/how I would react but I felt confident from the course that I knew my options and would be able to make decisions according to what was happening.
When I went into hospital to be induced I was actually 2cm dilated so didn’t need any cervical medication and instead had a sweep and got sent home, awaiting a bed on the delivery unit to have my waters broken. I was told it could take up to 48 hours for a bed to become available. The following afternoon I started with mild contractions and in the evening I rang the hospital with concerns about the baby’s movements and was asked to come in. All monitoring was normal but as the evening progressed, I stayed in hospital for pain relief. This started with gas and air & after examination at 2am I was still 2cm dilated so decided to have something stronger to allow me to sleep & rest, at this point I was so disappointed things hadn’t progressed!
I decided to have an epidural as I thought I could be going for hours and was desperate for sleep. Once the epidural was in I was examined again and was 7cm dilated and the midwife broke my waters. Things progressed pretty quickly after this and Louie was born at 9am after about 90 minutes of pushing. I could still feel the contractions with the epidural and the midwife coached me through the pushing. It was only the midwife and my partner in the room and it felt really peaceful and calm.
Gas & air – 2/5, didn’t feel much relief but enjoyed the focus it gave on my breathing.
Epidural – 4/5, almost complete relief but I could still feel contractions and the pressure when giving birth, which I was pleased about. Also it was great for my stitches after. The negative was that I had to stay in bed for a while after.
Morphine injection- 2/5, didn’t feel much effect from this but took the edge off.
Complete relief and elation that I’d make it through labour and he was here safely.
We stayed in hospital for 3 days to get feeding established due to urates in Louie’s nappy which meant possible dehydration. We got so much support from the midwives and I asked them so many questions and got them to help with all my breastfeeds, which was invaluable. I found the first days surreal and the practical lessons from HPHB really helped my partner and I with simple things like the first nappy change! The course gave me realistic expectations about healing from birth and I got some great tips about managing my stitches. We were so relieved to get home after 3 days in hospital and get into the baby bubble.
Exclusively breastfeeding, it was so important to me to breastfeed after learning about it on the course and I really made the most of all the support available.
Sleep deprivation in the early weeks, we still aren’t getting great sleep now but I’ve adjusted and my partner and I have got a routine to mean we both get some sleep!
The smiles, it’s so special when my baby looks at me and does his gummy grin.
The baby blues lasted longer for me than most people described, I felt them for around 2 weeks.
Not regret as such but I wish I had worried less in pregnancy.
So much, we have such a great group, 24/7 support and advice on our whatsapp group and weekly meet ups. There is no judgement and understanding that our babies are all different and we are all just trying to work out what is best for us.
Large water bottle with a straw.
A shower, fresh pjs and chocolate.
Nipple cream & muslins.
Baby carrier.
Speak to your partner before the baby has arrived about what is important to you so they can support you. My partner knew how strongly I felt about breastfeeding so let me concentrate on this while he looked after everything else.
Free downloadable resources and weekly guides for your pregnancy.
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