So I’ve been sat wondering what to write about, and thought it would be best to start from the beginning and where my motherhood journey began 🌿

I tell my birth story with pride, joy (mainly) but with the slightest disappointment but I’ll elaborate on that later!

It started sitting on the bathroom floor staring at 4 pregnancy tests that all had two lines, I was nervous, why? This is what we wanted.

I waited for Ash to come home OF COURSE he had been stuck in traffic for an hour making the suspense worse. He came through the front door and I told him to come upstairs his response was ‘god the baths not leaking again is it?!’ Me- ‘no no honey, it’s something else’ Ash was absolutely stunned and in denial, why? Finn was planned and we had been trying for 3 months. It’s still a massive shock though I think it is with everyone! 4 positive tests were not enough evidence for Ash so we headed to Asda for a £10!!! Clear Blue just so Ash could see the words in front of him. Of course it said positive, and of course I waited a few days and took the next one just because I was so paranoid and 5 pregnancy tests weren’t enough evidence for me clearly 🤣 ANYWAY fast forward nine months..

I went past my due day with Finn. Even though I was measuring two weeks bigger I was still allowed to go past my due date (I took it in my stride- they are the doctors after all). I tried A B S O L U T L E Y everything to get him here myself, I had exhausted google trying all the hints and tips! Towards the end of my pregnancy I continually had reduced movements, there was just no room for him in their anymore!

One day after my due date I went into hospital for the third time with reduced movements and they offered my a stretch and sweep, of course I took it! For anyone pregnant, it doesn’t hurt. Within a couple of house I began slow labour and I really learn why they call it slow labour. I began slow labour and started to lose my plug (too much info?) at around 6pm Sunday evening, I tried to laugh it off that it was wishful thinking not wanting to get my hopes up, but buy 2am it hurt and I knew it was the real deal. I rang the midwife and got the ‘take paracetamol and a hot bath’ speel (hmm paracetamol doesn’t kill a headache never mind labour pains). Anyways it got to 5am and I was struggling so I gave the labour ward another ring and off we headed to the hospital. Excited and anxious I was told I was only 2 cms dilated! So off I went back home. Ash headed off to work that morning bless him whilst I struggled at home. At this point I was continuously throwing up (that bit doesn’t get mentioned in class does it) as well as in a lot of pain. I waited my ash to get home and insisted we went back to hospital, with the attitude of ‘they will have to carry me out of that hospital, I’m not leaving without a baby’ my waters still had not broken, and I was already fed up and not slept at all the night before.

The hospital checked me at the hospital and I was only 4cm, she then tried to do my a favour and pop my waters with he fingers whilst checking me (ouch!) but no such luck. They still didn’t want to admit me and class me as established labour as my waters hadn’t gone. She did answer my prayers though and suggested I go in the birthing pool for a few hours to be monitored, and that’s what I did.

Fast forward 8 hours of being in the pool, turning into a prune, lots of gas and air, loads of throwing up and 9cm dilated I was absolutely exhausted I had now gone two days without sleep and was soon to push a baby out. How?!

Im not sure how the next bit happened because sooo many people have said to me they don’t know how I got an epidural at 9cm’s but- I did. I was transferred through to the hospital from the birthing centre. Maybe it was because my waters still hasn’t gone, or they could see Finn was getting distressed and didn’t want to say. But anyone I got one (after four failed attempts I’ll add- ouch again 🤣).

What felt like a really short time after I was 10cm and ready to push, but Finns heart rate began to drop. They put a monitor on his head and it begun rapidly decreasing. Even though he was in the birth canal and I needed to push I wasn’t allowed (that’s a difficult feeling, going against what your body is telling you).

I was told I needed to go to theatre for forceps to get him out as fast as possible and I needed to sign paperwork to okay a section if needs be. At this point I didn’t care how he came out I just wanted my baby safe.

Off we all went to theatre Ash in his scrubs, they attempted forceps but he just would not move he was well and truly stuck. Lucky for me they didn’t cut me in this attempt, I did tear but only a little bit. I could feel the forceps so absolutely freaked out when they said it was resulting in a section, so they basically numbed me up to my eye balls!

Within minutes I was cut open and our gorgeous baby boy was born at 8:48am weighing 9lb exactly.

He was rushed away with suspected breathing troubles, that actually turned out to be just hiccups! I was in theatre around 40 minutes getting stitched back up, I tried to hold him when I was back in a room but still couldn’t feel my arms so wasn’t able to 😢 that made breastfeeding hard too because he was ready for milk! But with the help of the most loveliest nurse I managed to give him a quick feed.

I was held in a room on the delivery ward all day as my blood pressure was too low, ide also lost a lot of blood through surgery that I was feeling the effects of so they wanted to keep me closely monitored.

That evening I was moved to the mother and baby unit and given my own room which I was absolutely delighted about! Ash could stay with my which was great because at this point the pain was wearing off (not great for ash because he was sleeping in a chair).

The next day I was told I couldn’t go home and had to stay another night which to be honest I was quite relieved about because the pain was so horrendous I didn’t want to have to get out of bed never mind make it to the car park.

I remember trying to stand up for the first time so clearly, it was quite literally one of the most painful things I’ve had to do. That’s right i had just gone through two days of labour and I was saying the aftermath was the most painful! But honestly it was. I’ve heard planned sections have a much better recovery and I believe that! They needed to get Finn out immediately so didn’t have time to be pussy footing around in my belly- again that’s fine I was certainly feeling it at this point though! Anyway I did as I was told I got out of bed and was left to shower myself alone. Imagine trying to bend down and reach the shower gel when you’ve just had major surgery the day before 🤪

I’m not going to keep going and bore you all. Two days later we were allowed home.

I said at the beginning ‘a little disappointment’ that’s down to the fact I did all the labour and didn’t quite make it until the end. It was a tough bullet to bite afterwards. Especially when your hormones are all over the place, but it is what it is and I would do it all again that way to get him here safely.So in summary.. basically labour hurt but it is not as bad as I thought, just make the most of them breaks between contractions. C-section recovery.. well.. I’m probs not the best person to ask I don’t have much positive to say (I didn’t even go into the daily injections I had to give myself 😨) but as I always say my baby is fit and healthy and it was so worth it!

Thanks for reading

Emily & Finn X