Amber's HM Monteprincipe Birth Stories
Today's birth stories are from *Amber who gave birth at HM Monteprincipe in 2018 and 2020.
Amber's Story:
My first birth in 2018 was an induced birth, started at 9am with my waters being broken and an IV drip (I can’t remember the medication given to start my labour) I had strong contractions and at 2pm I had an epidural, at 5pm I was told I was 10cm and they took me to the delivery room, three pushes and she was out!
My second birth in 2020 was quite different even though it was in the same hospital, obviously, now we’re in covid times and so I had to wear a mask throughout, this time it was a spontaneous labour, I was in a temporary labour and delivery room meaning I didn’t leave the room at any point, as soon as I got admitted I asked for the epidural.
I was alone as my husband was looking after our daughter and I wanted to be as calm as possible, I was admitted around 10am and baby boy was born at 5:45pm. There was quite a lot of pushing as he needed help to move down the birth canal, so it wasn’t as quick as my first birth, but because of the epidural, it was pain-free!
Both birth experiences were very positive for me, however, the aftercare in the hospital was seriously lacking. At times I called the nurses and no one came.
Did you feel supported in your chosen method of feeding your baby(ies)? Why or why not? How could this have been improved if you didn't feel supported?
Yes, and no… I knew I wanted to breastfeed, that was supported, however with baby number one I was given no help with latching, when I asked for help I just had my nipples painfully squeezed and told “yup, you have colostrum!” Then the first night I was pressured into giving her a bottle against my wishes instead of help breastfeeding, with baby number two luckily I didn’t need any help, he took to it like a duck to water, I also don’t recall anyone asking how breastfeeding was going, if I needed any support or anything.
Thank you for sharing your stories, Amber! *Name changed for privacy
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