This was our first baby, and so my husband and I had two 1-1 classes with Karen at 35 and 36 weeks, and we can hands down say that this was the BEST decision we made in our pregnancy. Our baby was measuring small so a plan was made to induce at 37 weeks, and Karen was able to completely tailor our sessions to help us prepare for induction, and give advice on having a small baby as well.
I felt like I had a good grasp on birth, but on doing Karen’s class I realised there was so much I didn’t know! Karen created such a calm and open atmosphere that both I and my husband felt like we could ask literally anything and knew that Karen wouldn’t judge if we thought our questions were silly!
We went into hospital at 37 weeks on the dot, and from the get go we had such a positive experience, which I fully put down to all the knowledge Karen armed us with. I was able to confidently ask questions during the induction process, and know exactly why each step happened.
I had the propess inserted, and after 24 hours had progressed enough to have my waters broken. This was done and I was started on the hormone drip. Every step of the way I felt empowered to make informed decisions as Karen had taught me! I knew I wanted to remain mobile during labour, so to help with contraction pain my midwife got me standing up leaning on the bed. Unfortunately this was the start of our baby being in distress, and her heart rate dropped significantly with each contraction. I won’t lie, this bit was scary as suddenly the room was filled with people, I was quickly lifted back onto the bed and examined to make sure baby’s cord hadn’t dropped down.
Thankfully it hadn’t and the room cleared again. I still felt in control, as did my husband as he was able to advocate for me and ask exactly what had happened and get us all the info.
Long story short, our baby’s heart rate continued to drop significantly with each contraction. A consultant came to chat to us and said that caesarean would be the best option for our baby, but ultimately it was my choice. This had been mentioned earlier in the day, and so because of Karen’s class I had spent some time using the BRAIN acronym to weigh up having a c section if it came to it.
I decided it was the best option for our baby, and had all my questions ready to ask. All the medical staff made sure we were so well informed and answered all our questions. We’re so glad we were able to make the decision before it became a real emergency, and so we had time to think things through and explore all options.
My section was a really beautiful and empowering experience, and within an hour I was back in our room with our baby girl in my arms!
There’s so much more I could say, but really the main takeaway here is without Karen I would have been terrified throughout my entire birth, and I’ll be forever grateful that because of her that wasn’t the case at all.