Initial:
S
Your age:
35
What number baby is this for you?
Second
How long (ish) did it take to you to conceive?
6 months natural conception
Did you have any medical conditions prior to pregnancy?
None
Did you have any conditions that developed during your pregnancy (e.g.Pre-eclampsia, Gestational diabetes)?
Just anaemia (low iron) but I think that’s fairly common
Did you write birth plan? If so, what birth choices did you hope for?
I’ve got two children and I wrote birth plans for both of my births but always kept them pretty loose. I’d had advice from other mums about not being too tied to the plan as your body will dictate what you want and need in that moment but it’s great way to help the midwife’s understand your wishes during the initial stages.
My plan was quite short but I included my thoughts on the type of birth support/aids I wanted, my preferences on pain relief and also my fears as I’m not great with blood and wanted to make sure the midwives were aware of this.
What birth did you have?
For my first baby I said I wanted a water birth as friends had told me it could help alleviate the heaviness you feel during labour, but on getting into the pool I absolutely hated it and wanted to get out again within 5 minutes! Whilst some people love it, it just wasn’t for me. But it was great to feel listened too. I said what I wanted, I tried it, I didn’t like it and felt I could easily change my mind. I opted for diamorphine with my first and had a vaginal delivery about 14 hours after going into the delivery suite.
For my second baby things happened very quickly. I had reduced movements so I made the decision for my waters to be broken. I wanted diamorphine again but there wasn’t time and within 55 minutes of my waters being broken she arrived!
My labour and birth experience with both of my babies was so different but both were very positive experiences.
How was your recovery from birth?
My recovery second time round was much quicker than the first time but I think I knew what to expect and was kinder to myself in terms of giving myself the time I needed to recover. On both occasions I had stitches and there was no issues or complications with the healing process.
Do you have any advice or helpful hints or tips that we can share with parents to be?
My advice is just to listen to your body and tell those around you how feel and what you want.
Having gone through labour I’m now awe at how wonderful the female body is! Your body is amazing and will do amazing things when it comes to delivering your baby.
If you would like to share your own unique delivery diary please click to this page and complete the form.
