Do these forums help you? if so how? and if not why ?
Very much so! I made a lovely group of friends who were going through the same things as me at the same time. It was great to have their support and share our worried/make ourselves feel better
What is your opinion on prenatal bonding? do you think it is effective?
I think it’s very effective. I am autistic so was worried that I would struggle to bond with my baby but by talking to him every day and responding to his kicks whilst he was still inside me I ultimately felt confident that I would love him the same way once he was born. My husband also talked to our son each night in utero. The routine helped him connect more with the baby and it was their special time together
Has social media had an impact on your experience during pregnancy and childbirth?
I took the Positive Birth Company’s hypnobirthing course which gave me access to a Facebook group full of positive birth stories. I found these really helpful to read and there was also a comments section where we could ask questions and congratulate each other. I also created a Facebook group for the other November ladies here and a Whatsapp group for the women I met in our NCT group which has been another invaluable piece of support (especially during night feeds!) Thanks to Covid, we didn’t have the ‘normal’ pregnancy experiences, everything was very virtual so chat groups like that really helped make the whole situation feel a little less lonely.
What other things have impacted on your experience during pregnancy and childbirth?
Covid:
Having my husband working from home with me really helped when I was suffering badly with morning sickness. Fortunately my hospital did not restrict access to scans and he was by my side for the entirety of the birth.
It was also hard not being able to visit our families. My parents are in Liverpool and we live in London so we managed to see them once during the entire pregnancy due to lockdown. I’m not sure when they’ll be able to meet their first grandchild
Was the experience what you expected? what happened that you didn't expect?
I think Covid tainted a lot of my pregnancy experiences. I had imagined showing my bump off at work but in reality my colleagues saw me at four weeks pregnant and then we were all working from home
I also missed out on the in person courses and other fun things associated with preparing for a baby like going to baby fairs, having a little baby shower etc.
Still, after fifteen months of trying, I was just so grateful to finally be pregnant that I don’t suppose it really mattered in the end
I have my beautiful boy now!
In terms of the birth, I surprised myself at how calm and collected I was. As a teenager I’d always said I’d take all the drugs for childbirth that I was offered. In reality I used breathing exercises and a TENS machine to cope with a 24 hour labour, ultimately getting to 10cm as we arrived at triage and giving birth two hours later with no pain relief at all. Turns out, I was much stronger than I gave myself credit for!
