February 2021

Mummy No 20 was a very close friend of mummy number 14 and contacted me at 33 weeks as she was praying for a natural birth, the same as her best friend.  She was living opposite our apartment, so it was time efficient for me to visit her and her husband, both from the Maldives, and talk about how to prepare each other for a very special journey in life.

I spent lots of time reassuring her to trust her body and when she was experiencing early labour, I was able to explain the physiology and why she felt the way she did. She went into labour naturally one day before her due date and after an initial antigen test, which was negative, I was able to spend some time with her.  Her labour was progressing too slowly for her liking with a long early stage, so to give herself the best chance of achieving a normal birth, she opted for an epidural to make her relaxed. 

Hurrah! Beautiful baby Mikhail was born at 2.40 at night, crying his lungs out. She spent about a week in hospital to recover after the long birth, but when I was invited to attend a family gathering and an afternoon tea to celebrate everyone’s health, I was privileged to witness so much love this new family has brought to their extended family.

The role of extended family is so important in the life of any baby and new parents as long as the help is balanced; letting the couple be themselves without additional pressure of culture and opinions of others forced on them. I was given a colourful bouquet of flowers and a box of cupcakes for which I was very touched and felt appreciated.

Rennie