Due on 9th Nov, our little Connie was born an hour into 10th Nov!

I went into labour at 39+6 at 5:30pm, took a good 12 hours to get to 3cm as this is my first baby my body had a lot of work to do!

We went to the hospital and it took a further 12 hours to get from 3cm to 4cm, meaning full labour didn’t really kick off till 5:00pm at 40 weeks exactly.

Using a birth ball and plenty of gas and air, I bounced my way through to 7cm which took about 4 hours. By this point, I won’t lie, the pain was starting to get intense! I was totally out of it and instead of being in control I started to really roar through the contractions, rather then go with them. I was just exhausted!

My boyfriend was so supportive and reminded the midwife that I really wanted a water birth.

They manage to set me up a pool and I had our girl 3 hours later.

It took an hour and a half to push her out and it did cause a 2nd degree tear.

Straight after being born, they realised that our girl wasn’t breathing right. So she was taken straight off to a high dependence unit to be monitored. On closer inspection it was realised that she had an infection and is now being treated via antibiotics through a cannula.

It’s been a really tough few days as I never got to have skin to skin, feed or change my baby for the first time. We had to visit her on the neonatal ward and it was honestly the hardest thing my partner and I have been through.

Luckily she is slowly but surely recovering. We are still in hospital but should be home safe and sound by Wednesday. (Fingers crossed)

I love our girl so much and all the emotions of the birth are worth it 1 million times over.

The staff at the NHS really don’t receive enough credit for the amazing work that they do to care and love our children into this world. I don’t think we would be in such a positive place without their hard work and energy.

Here is our little Connie Elizabeth, born at 1:17am at 9lbs.