A little advice from a brand new mum! Happy birth :)

[HannahG315]

Thanks for the support and advice over the past few weeks. My LO was born March 16th and settling in great- here's some tips for those still waiting:

• when waiting for labour to progress get up and about!!! I don't mean walking up and down corridors. I ran up and down four flights of stairs for over an hour, squats, jumping jacks, even Irish dancing! And various speeds up and around the hospital grounds- therefore my labour progressed quickly and without intervention (after waters went, had 24 hours to get myself going naturally)

• EAT AND DRINK RUBBISH FOOD!! My midwife told me to eat a McDonalds or fry up from canteen and drink full fat lucozade or coke- gave me the energy to get through the day and run around getting labour going.. You need fatty stodgy food

• have TWO birth partners- if you're there for a long time they can take shifts! My mum took the long slog and my OH got to have his last ever decent sleep- he was nervous and cleaned the house instead, but it was better than waiting around with me

• demand!!! My mother was good at this, she ensured that nurses and midwives did what they promised and when!

• grunt don't scream 'put your voice in your bottom' when you're trying to control those contractions screaming makes them last longer, if you feel like you can literally growl through it you can move with it

-- be wary of pain relief- gas and air for me was awful. I felt out of control and then I was given diamorphine (not sure how its spelt) and I no longer had the ability to feel the contraction build and release- suddenly loosing this control and being OFF MY TITS made me panic.

Once you have accepted the pain it is doable, you just need to think of it as a driving force- like an acceleration up a big hill! I'm sat here now with my little boy and that seems like a blip in the grand scheme of things!!!

Just wanted to share this with anyone still waiting or with any concerns. I've found these posts really reassuring and brutally honest!!! Hope someone else gets that from this!

[Bluecookiemonster]

I can see the spirit in which your post was intended. But I would be wary in saying that people shouldn't be taking pain relief in labour. If people need it, then they need it. That's what it's there for. There should be no shame in needing something that's readily available.

Labour isn't really something you can control, it's a great unknown. Realistically it happens to you and you just hang on and do the best that you can. I've given birth twice, once I had all the interventions under the sun and the other only a few. I didn't do anything different both times, the only difference the second time was at least knowing what was going to happen (still bloody hurt though).

I'm glad you had a great labour and delivery, just didn't want some poor soul reading this after needing a section or forceps and thinking 'I'm so crap and I failed' because they didn't.

[everythinghippie29]

Congratulations!

I second what bluecookiemonster said though. It is great you had a nice birth experience but every labour is different. I went two weeks over and no amount of star jumps was getting him out!

I also had pain relief following my induction as the speed and force in which my contractions started really did hit me hard (I never had chance to chat/'relax' between them!)and was eventually sent for an emergency forceps delivery. I'm sure it wasn't intended that way but your post could be interpreted as I was just weak and let it happen that way when really, with birth, its mostly luck of the draw as to how it progresses! .

Enjoy your newborn cuddles, they are amazing! Get lots of rest and enjoy!

[Wossname]

Ah 2 day old babies, snugglies!

[AnythingNotEverything]

I second the poster who appreciates your intentions, but posts like this can go one of two ways.

I'm really pleased you had a lovely birth. People may come on and share some not so nice stories. There's no "right" birth. You get a baby - we're all winners really.

Re: pain relief - gas and air was my saviour in my last labour. Once I got the hang of the funny taste (in slightly phobic about funny smells/tastes and have a very sensitive gag reflex) and how/when to breathe it in, it was wonderful. I had pethidine and an epidural in my first labour, and equally couldn't have managed without them at that time. Every birth, every woman, and every baby is different.

Congratulations on your delicious baby.

[KatAndKit]

Congratulations on your baby, and I am pleased for you that you had an uncomplicated delivery.

Personally by 40 weeks my SPD was pretty horrendous so star jumps and squats were out of the question. During the 11 hours I was stuck on the bed with a drip and continuous monitoring I was very glad to get off my tits on pain relief!

[Lj8893]

Congratulations

I'm another one to say lovely sentiments from you but your post could be taken the complete wrong way tbh. You can't control labour. For example, not one of your points would have made the slightest difference to my labour! (Although it would have been lovely to have the time to have had a Maccy ds!)

[Pinkbell123]

Not sure people should accept the pain is doable. I'm also a new mum and I had a long, induced labour, baby was back to back and having the courage to get over my worries about 'being a wimp' and asking for an epidural was the best thing I could have done for me. Especially as I had to have forceps and ended up in theatre with a third degree tear.

Pain relief can be there for a reason, you don't just have to accept the pain. Even though I know I did the right thing, I'm still trying to come to terms with my traumatic labour and the fact that it was nothing like the labour I'd 'planned'

[longtallsally2]

Congratulations Hannah. Another one who would just urge caution, however.

when waiting for labour to progress get up and about!!! I don't mean walking up and down corridors. I ran

That's great for you, but wouldn't have been right for me. I was on my hands and knees vomiting into a bucket for six hours with every contraction in the early stages of labour. I couldn't even run to the loo. Still ended up with a lovely baby however. Giving birth is the most amazing adventure, I think - with a little bit of rosy glow of hindsight! It's great to share stories, as it helps you to start to get your head around what might be in store, but in the end, you have to find what suits you and we are all very, very different

[NickyEds]

Congratulations!I agree that your post could easily be taken the wrong way. After my waters broke I too started the "sprint around the hospital grounds" but my contractions got to every 7 minutes and no further. No squats would have helped, I had to have the induction drip- If you didn't then you were fortunate but I wasn't just being lazy!!!
I had gas ans air and diamorphine- DS was back to back and the pain wasn't "doable"-after 27 hours "off my tits" looked ok to me.
Did the fry up though-Oh would have had two had he known he wouldn't really eat for another 2 days!
I'm glad you were happy with your birth. Good luck with your new baby.

[Ludways]

Congratulations!

However, I was bed bound as they were strictly monitoring my baby and I'd been hospitalised for a week before.

I also was nil by mouth due to likelihood of section, which did happen.

Exactly the same with baby two.

I'm glad your labour was great but although I'm an athletic and energetic person normally the energy and ability to have your type of labour wasn't available to me.

[hunreeeal]

I'm glad it went well for you. However every birth is different, and some people who do all you suggest may still have a completely different experience. There's no "do this and therefore this will happen".

[JabberJabberJay]

Congratulations on your baby!

I'm absolutely sure you mean well with your post. But you are only really an expert on your labour and delivery. What worked/was appropriate for you will not be the same for everyone else.

For example, I never hung about waiting for labour to progress. I labour very quickly (4 hours with DC1 45mins total with DC2). The very last thing I would do would be to do star jumps to encourage things along. Quite fast enough already thank you!

Also, not everyone would want their Mum there. I didn't and we get on very well. If people have more than 1 DC grandma may be babysitting anyway.

I'm sure you take the point. I'm pleased things worked out well for you, I really am, but that really doesn't make you qualified to comment on how other people should go about it.

Enjoy your baby!

[atthestrokeoftwelve]

I agree with the others- I am pleased things worked well for you, but your experience may not reflect other women's birth not even be helpful.

Giving birth is a very individual thing, many women can't or don't want to run up and down flights of stairs or do "Irish dancing".

I was fit but entered my labours in a calm relaxed state, i wanted to rest, and although I was upright and mobile- giding birth on all fours my body told me to relax and take things gently.

As to having your mother there- well that's nice for you but personally I would rather have given birth without a birth partner than my mother.

"Eat rubbish food"- again that's not for everyone, many women enter labour feeling quite nauseous and vomiting is common, I wasn't hungry and certainly wouldn't have wanted to see a big mac on the second round.

We can hear your enthusiasm, but bear in mind we all have different birth experiences.

[JabberJabberJay]

Oh and I had no pain relief whatsoever for DC2 as there simply wasn't time. It was awful. I have a pretty high pain threshold but I was beside myself with pain and distress. I got through it because I had to (planned homebirth by baby arrived before midwife/paramedics) but it was traumatic. I have flashbacks. I would have killed for something, anything to take the edge off the pain.

Do you see? My experience of giving birth was nothing like yours so your advice really doesn't translate

Anyway. Glad it went well for you
Good luck with your baby@

[Cariad007]

Also be aware that a lot of women don't even have one birth partner let alone two.

[rumtumtugger]

Ok I think op has probably gotten the message now. She's 3 days post partum and probably feeling emotional so can we leave it there? Op - congratulations, enjoy your newborn snuggles and the adventure of being a parent

[OscarandTimmy]

This is not having a go at the OP, just I think she may have been given wrong advice from the midwife regarding food. Surely slow release energy foods are better as they keep you going for longer rather than a quick peak then a fall like what you get from high sugar foods. Congrats OP!!

[MummyPigsFatTummy]

I had a Maccy Ds and threw it up all over the monitor a few hours later - I was NOT POPULAR.

Anyhoo, not wanting to rain on your parade OP. Congratulations and very sound advice for those who are able to take it. I had every intervention and almost every form of pain relief going btw (including a general anaesthetic for the EMCS) and DD and I were groggy for days, but I still love to hear happy birth stories - nice to hear about how it can go well (I keep my birth plan just so I can have a giggle at my and DH's naivety).

And I agree - treasure all those newborn cuddles

[everythinghippie29]

For what its worth I had a BIG FAT Macdonalds brought to me the day after when I was still stuck in hospital and IT WAS AMAZING!

[RhubarbCrumble1]

Congratulations x

[cogitosum]

I walked for miles (literally) in labour and had McDonald's. still didn't progress (in fact they think my body was exhausted so the walking had the opposite affect) and my body went into starvation.

Congratulations.

[OhBabyLilyMunster]

Well done, i bet you feel a real birth warrior and its a wonderful feeling. I can feel how much you are in the wonderful bubble of new baby love! Enjoy every moment, OP :)

[AShadowStirsWithin]

Yes to all of the above.

First birth my instinct told me to relax and I didn't want to move around. I'd have hated doing star jumps, it went against what my body was telling me to do. It was a fast labour with no pushing - the baby was coming out and my instinct to relax allowed my body to do all the work for me.

Second baby my instinct was the opposite. I moved as much as possible. Didn't stop the labour stopping completely at 5 cms. My body was exhausted and all the leaping about actually tired me out more and made the situation worse. Labour only kick started again after I'd had a good 6 hours of sleep. Then as with my first my body got on with it. I felt furious being told to move, I didn't want to, my body wanted me to relax and I did the next 5 cms in just over an hour. Then it went a bit wrong again but he came out in the end!

Women labour differently. For me, a lot of jumping about tends to tire me out and my labour then stalls. My instinct is to relax, take loads of gas and air and go with it.

[OrangeMochaFrappucino]

I shared your experience of pain, OP - didn't want any relief or to feel less on control and I definitely experienced it as more of a driving force than something frightening or bad.

Couldn't have felt less like a McDonald's or coke though- vomited through early labour and could only manage sips of water. Had a digestive biscuit when pushing - definitely didn't want grease, fat or high sugar.

Also, my body wanted to conserve energy for my very quick labour so no running up and downstairs - I slept and almost meditated between contractions. For me, it was a quiet and peaceful experience floating around in the birth pool.

Never wanted to scream through pushes, that would have felt like a waste of energy. I agree, it was more growly!

Every labour is different but I think it's really important for women to share positive birth stories - so many people wanted to give me horror stories in my first pregnancy. Hearing positive stories made me feel more confident that giving birth didn't have to be traumatic and terrifying, so thanks for sharing your story, OP.

Many congratulations on your baby .