birth Archives – Emma Reed

C-Section Versus VBAC

Posted on April 9, 2019November 20, 2024 by Emma Reed

This is a post I have been meaning to write for so long now. Having had an emergency c-section with my first child and a VBAC with my second, I wanted to get down in the blog the differences and how I felt about them both and why.

Now, I have covered both stories in previous posts. Jake was born via an emergency c-section on Christmas Day and you can read all about that birth story here. William was born 8 weeks early

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Why I’ve Never Written A Birth Plan And Never Will

Posted on January 15, 2019November 19, 2024 by Emma Reed

When I was pregnant the first time around I remember being asked quite early on to write out my birth plan. I recall looking at the midwife and telling her that whatever happens, happens. She replied with that I needed to at least write something down as a guide so I simply put ‘do what is needed‘. The thing is, I’m a realist. I know things in life don’t always go as expected, I know that setting up a huge plan can end in disappointment if something changes and I wanted to keep an open mind about the labour and birth.

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Why There Needs to be More Awareness of Group B Strep

Posted on July 17, 2018November 15, 2024 by Emma Reed

Group B Strep.

It’s one of those words I remembered hearing during my first pregnancy but it wasn’t ever something I asked more about and it certainly wasn’t something that was ever explained to me. As that pregnancy was straightforward I had no concerns that the next would be any different… I couldn’t have been more wrong.

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Babycare Elle TENS2 Review

Posted on December 4, 2017April 17, 2026 by Emma Reed

*Gifted Product

Having used a TENS machine during my first labour and getting great results from it, I knew I would need to use one for my second labour, especially as I was adamant that I was going to have a natural birth. So, when Babycare TENS got into contact with me to ask me to try out their new Elle TENS2 machine I jumped at the chance.

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Our NICU Journey- Week One

Posted on December 1, 2017November 14, 2024 by Emma Reed

So, you arrived early. I expected it, I just knew my body hadn’t felt right, I’d been saying this since week 24 and after my waters broke early I mentally prepared myself for your premature entrance into the world. We had the tour of Neonatal during my first hospital stay… it took me aback. We were shown the incubators and told that was where you would go straight after birth if you came early, it took all my strength not to cry. As a blogger, I have read many stories from others I follow of their premature babies being in NICU and I have been moved by what has been written but nothing can prepare you for for the reality of it all. To see tiny babies lying inside what is essentially a plastic box, being helped with their breathing via ventilators or under UV lights for jaundice is something that makes your heart sink. We were shown the two types of ventilators and the nurse explained why you may be on them and how they work… I couldn’t really take that information in because I didn’t want to picture you on one. We were told how the unit worked and how you would be under 24/7 care. I was shown the expressing room, where I would have to go and sit to pump breastmilk for you to be fed through a tube. Not the image I had for you to start your breastfeeding journey. I think I nodded along and tried to take the information in but it was a bit too much to process at once.

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An Eventful Birth Story: PPROM, VBAC and Prematurity

Posted on November 28, 2017November 14, 2024 by Emma Reed

If you have been following my blog you will know that I have been openly documenting my pregnancy journey and all topics that come along with it. What I thought was going to be a straight forward time and something lovely to write about suddenly changed at week 24 when I had a bleed. What followed was a second bleed, the loss of my mucus plug, the diagnosis of Group B Strep and then the preterm premature rupturing of membranes (PPROM) at 30 weeks leaving me in hospital to be monitored and the chances of infection being very high; a normal pregnancy had suddenly changed to one that was risky and quite scary. One that would lead to a premature birth…

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Packing Your Hospital Bag

Posted on November 17, 2017January 13, 2025 by Emma Reed

*Gifted TENS machine

Packing your hospital bag is usually something you can end up leaving until the last month or so but in my case, I have just chosen to frantically pack mine now (with what I have to hand) as I have now been told twice this week that my baby seems to be getting himself into position, which with all my issues recently I am not overly surprised. If he doesn’t come naturally I will more than likely be induced a little earlier anyway so now is the time to plan, prepare and get my head around the fact I will probably have a baby this year and not next year!

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