labour ward

In today’s episode we’re hearing from Ellie who conceived both her little boys via IVF due to primary amenorrhea. She shares how she struggled with anxiety during her first pregnancy, not trusting in her body’s ability to carry a child. Her and her husband moved out of London just weeks before Bowie was born and despite a short hospital stay at 38 weeks due to a hemiplegic migraine, Ellie went on to birth her baby at home.

Her second pregnancy was a very different experience as she dealt with fatigue, PGP and some difficult emotional challenges all whilst mothering a young toddler. Unfortunately hospital restrictions meant that Ellie had to give birth in the labour ward, which was far from her first choice and whilst again she had the unmedicated vaginal birth she wanted, the care she received in the hospital negatively shaped her experience of her second birth

Ellie’s IG: https://www.instagram.com/elliemaeclarke/
Studio Amphora: https://studioamphora.com/ 

My website: www.serenalouth.com
My IG: https://www.instagram.com/serenalouth/

In today’s episode we’re hearing from Lucy as she shares her experience of birthing her daughter Freya. Her labour began when her waters broke dramatically at home one night. Her surges were irregular and remained so for the next 24 hours so eventually she was advised to have her labour augmented with a syntocin drip which she found intense but manageable. Despite accepting some interventions that Lucy hadn’t planned or hoped for she feels she had a really positive birth experience using only gas and air and the bath for pain relief. She found the water to provide huge amounts of relief and she went on to birth her baby in the pool with the support of her partner and lots of cheerleading from the midwives.

Lucy's website: https://www.lucyrowland.co.uk/ 
Lucy's IG: https://www.instagram.com/lucyrowland.yoga/ 

My website: www.serenalouth.com
My IG: https://www.instagram.com/serenalouth/
Apply to be a guest on Birth Tales: https://serenalouth.com/bt-application