labour 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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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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My Pregnancy: Birth Reflections Meeting

Posted on October 3, 2017November 12, 2024 by Emma Reed

When I had Jake on Christmas Day 2013 it ended in a very traumatic emergency c-section which affected me for quite a while after. I wasn’t offered any extra help afterwards, any counselling or explanations about what happened. All I had to go on was what I could vaguely remember from my time in the hospital and the bits that my husband relayed back. It was a long, exhausting labour and when you have been pulled and prodded, checked and injected, seen countless faces and gone through an epidural and a spinal block, then surgery everything becomes a blur and the facts and details are lost.

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