Isaac's Birth Story

I wanted to post this earlier in the month, while it was still fresh in my mind, but I just couldn't free my hands for three minutes in order to share with you my latest birth experience.

I was going to try and keep it short, but I'm still so excited by it, I may struggle.

We'd attending hypnobirthing courses with Lee from Amazing Births at 20 weeks, when we then decided we wanted a home birth. My due date came and went and I started to panic about being pressurised into induction so on Saturday I went to see Wendy McGregor for some induction acupuncture. And that's when it started...

I was having frequent surges (contractions) from the appointment throughout the rest of the day. Nothing much to them, but enough to make me stop talking and concentrate on walking through the park! This continued throughout Strictly Come Dancing and X Factor, and then at 10pm I retired to bed, knowing full well I would be up again soon. I failed to tell Chris this (didn't want to jinx it), so he ended up staying up to play on the computer. He regrets this, as, at 11.30pm he came to bed. His head hit the pillow and I told him it was time to get up again.

He prepared the room for the birth. Candles, oil burning, music on, pool up. At some point the midwife arrived and was shown to the kitchen to read my birth preferences (in short: shut up and leave me to it!). I'd asked for no examinations in my birth preferences, but she wanted to check I was in labour. I hadn't wanted her there at that point. I wasn't ready, but they'd misunderstood Chris's call and sent the midwife out to us. I was thinking I'd only be a cm dilated, and she'd assume I wasn't in labour when I knew I was.... I was 4cm, and some other technical mumbo jumbo.

The midwife left me to my own devices. She didn't speak to me. She didn't even tell me her name. I didn't know until I read my notes after, that her name was Ruth. She directed all questions through Chris. However, I was in such a sound state of mind that I would have happily spoken to them both. But the peace and quiet was lovely, to be fair. I sat on my ball and breathed through each surge, listening to the hypnobirthing music. I had the affirmations playing, and found myself grinning from ear to ear through one surge which timed itself perfectly with the affirmation "Each surge of my body brings my baby closer to me"...

I started softly crying at one point, at the realisation I was about to have a baby. I don't think I'd come to terms with this at any point in my pregnancy. It had all been a bit surreal. I barely felt pregnant.

I just chilled out with my own company. Midwife would come and listen to baby's heartbeat, always perfect, and then leave me again. Eyes closed. Breathing. Meanwhile Chris was chasing the cats around. The Midwife was allergic, and they were excited by her paperwork, coat, medical equipment, etc...

As the surges grew stronger, I decided to try out the pool. It was lovely. Too lovely. I was falling asleep slightly. Chris ACTUALLY fell asleep. My surges slowed slightly. I got out again and sat on my ball.

I was still perfectly fine and normal. Had I not been ensuring I was completely relaxed, I think I'd have happily been cleaning, or cooking, or dancing inbetween surges... And even through surges!

I realised it was time to get back in the pool. I didn't have a clue what the time was. I figured I'd only been in labour for an hour or so... When Chris mentioned the kids potentially waking up soon. WHAT!? So he made arrangements with my mum to come and collect them, and he'd wake them for her arrival. Up until this time, I was generally just "chillaxing" as Ella would say. Nothing much to report.

Things started to kick up a notch. I started crying and crying. The midwife and Chris sat in front of me by the pool. It was the first time the midwife had been within 5 metres of me throughout the labour. They told me I was doing great. I told them I knew I was, and there was no reason for my crying. I knew I was in "transition". I'd have told them that if I was more conscious and able to talk. I was starting to zone out a bit... Or tune into my body. At this point, I asked Chris to wipe my mascara tears (I hadn't taken my makeup off before bed). Instead of wiping under my eye, as a woman would, he wiped down from my eyelid to my cheek, smearing more mascara on my face. This caused a bit of a grumble from me about his lack of mascara wiping knowledge, which we all found amusing.

The surges that followed were the first that I made noise. I wasn't screaming. I was growling a little as I breathed out, that was all. I said "it's coming" a few times, as I felt the babies head move down. The second midwife turned up. I started to "push" (although was still very much breathing rather than pushing). I kept telling Chris that I wasn't getting anywhere. It just felt like nothing was happening. But the midwife told me to feel the babies head. A few more surges, and it was time for the head to be born. I shouted through this surge! And voila, babies head. Midwife told me how to lift baby out of the water, but I don't think I was really listening to her. I said "come on baby" followed by another shouty push... and my baby was born. I could see his willy before I even began lifting him (as his bum was floating upwards) so I announced that it was a boy before lifting him, screaming, to my chest. It was 7.32am on Halloween (although the clocks had gone back at 2am, so add an hour on to the length of the labour).

We got out to deliver the placenta. He was weighed (8lbs 6oz), and everyone was happy. I walked around perfectly normally (it didn't feel like I'd given birth... the water was amazing!) and then fed him while we discussed names. We settled on (by other names being crossed off) Isaac Charlie. By 9am we were left to our own devices with our own baby in our own home. It was surreal, and fantastic!

I felt no real pain throughout the birth. It was the same sensations I'd experienced with my previous labours, but I just looked at them in a different way. It was a lot of pressure, and in no way a lot of pain as I'd thought previously. So if you're expecting a baby, I'd highly recommend hypnobirthing, as it allowed me to have the perfect birth experience... (and it made 9 hours feel like 2, which is always a bonus!)

I can't believe I won't get to do it again *sob*

Become a Recommended Photographer

When purchasing photo cards, the biggest factor in creating a stunning finished product is the perfect photographs. We're on a mission to find professional photographers from up and down the UK that our customers can use to achieve beautiful photographs to create beautiful announcements and invitations.

If you're a photographer who specialises in newborn and family photography, covering a county not currently covered on our website, and would like to be listed on our Photographers page, please email info@ellaannouncements.com with your details to discuss.

All we ask of you is that you allow the photos taken to be used on the announcements, emailed direct to us. You are welcome to charge whatever fees necessary, and promote additional products as much as possible.

We'd love to hear from you if you have any questions, or would like to be involved.

Amanda x

New Canvas Designs

Just in time for Christmas, we've got some new canvas wall art designs up our sleeves...

Our canvases start from £35 and are personalised with your own details and printed onto high quality 260gsm matt canvas. It will be mounted and hand-stretched around an 18mm pine box frame. Every canvas is handmade with great care. It will be supplied with corner wedges for re-tensioning of your canvas and supplies with dentate hangers so they are ready to hand on your wall.

Visit the website for more designs!

Christmas is coming...

Are you ready to share some festive cheer?

It's only a month to go until Christmas now, which means it's time to start getting ready... Christmas decorations out of the attic, Christmas presents ordered, buying extra food and beer to store away, and time to write your Christmas cards!

Now, I've been known to personally be a bit of a scrooge, but when it comes to designing christmas cards it really is my favourite project to do! For this reason, until 6th December, you can purchase any one of our Christmas Card designs BUT benefit from a completely free Bespoke Design. We'll create a unique christmas card that no-one before you will be sending out in 2010.

With photo paper prints starting from just 90p including envelopes, and our fantastic card options priced from £1.20, celebrate this Christmas in style without breaking the bank. Here is just a taster of some of our Christmas designs for 2010, perfect for babies first christmas, family cards and great for kids to hand out at school and nursery.

GUARANTEED TURNAROUND TIME

If you place your order during November, we guarantee to send you a proof within 48 hours, This promise, combined with our new printing system (orders dispatched within 72 hours of approval*) means you'll have your order within a week!

*Applies to A6 and A5 options only. Photo Paper Prints may have an increased turnaround time.

Mumpreneur Idol

As well as Ella Announcements, I also run Mumpreneur UK, a website aimed at supporting and celebrating mums who run their own business.

Today, we launch our spring event Mumpreneur Idol. Mumpreneur Idol is our business start up competition, where one mum will walk away with the ultimate start up prize enabling her to launch her own business.

If you're a mum, and have a business idea brewing, head over to Mumpreneur UK to find out more, and enter today.

I'll have more information on the event in the new year, so check back soon for more news.

Product Spotlight: Stripy Girl Christmas Card

Our first Product Spotlight is our Stripy Girl Christmas Card Design:

Product Details:

This christmas card includes a photo of your little one alongside your christmas greeting. This bright pink stripe background, with green and brown, makes for a super fun design, ideal for your child to hand out at school.

Your Christmas Cards can be printed as Photo Paper Prints, Single Sided Card or Double Sided Card on 300gsm silk card, starting from 90p each.

My thoughts on the Product:

I chose this design for the first Product Spotlight, as I have just sent these to print for my daughter to give out at nursery. She's NOT a girly girl, and her cheeky personality has everyone she meets giggling, so it was important that her Christmas cards reflected this, so this design came to light.

As Isabel attends nursery all day every day, her Christmas Card list is ridiculously long. Most children only attend half a day for a couple of days a week... but she knows them all. For this reason, I am so glad I will not have to handwrite all of Isabel's cards (as, at 2 years old, she's not quite yet old enough to write them herself!).

You can have a number of photos on this design, and choose your colours to suit. Behind the photo it's actually a really simply design, which is why it is easy to adapt and make your own!

You can buy the spotlight product here:

http://www.ellaannouncements.com/cart/stripey-girl-p-550.php

New Print Option!

Well... I say a new print option, but this is actually the first ever print option Ella Announcements offered and it's back after popular demand.

Photo Paper Prints:

The photo paper prints will have your announcements printed as 6" x 4" photos on crystal fuji archive photo paper. Our budget option provides you with fantastic print quality at budget prices of just £0.90 per print!

Find out more on the Print Options page.

Please note, this print option may have a longer turnaround time, and will not be dispatched via next day courier as per the cardstock print options.

Self-Employed Parent of the Year

I am delighted to announce that this month I was awarded the Self-Employed Parent of the Year Award from the mumandworking awards. I was SO gutted not to have made the awards themselves, but had given birth just 3 days earlier so had to admit defeat and stay at home *sob*.

You can find out more about mumandworking, and the awards, here:

http://www.mumandworking.co.uk/awards/

A huge thank you to everyone who supported me in the lead up to the awards, and to the judges for recognising my achievements. I am thrilled, and hope to be able to attend the 2011 awards and pass on my crown ;)

It's a Boy!

We're delighted to announce the birth of our fourth (and last) child, Isaac Charlie Farren.

Isaac was born at home on 7.32am on Sunday 31st October weighing 8lbs 6oz. I need to set aside some time to take some photographs, but check back soon for our photo birth announcement!

The next two weeks, we will be around and working, however with reduced working hours, so please be patient if you are awaiting a proof or a reply. We anticipate we'll be back to normal working hours, and standard turnaround times before next week is up.