Postpartum, C-Section Recovery & My Stoma 

I had to stop watching after you said "it was inhumane" regarding birthing partners not being allowed on the ward. My little one was born right during covid and my partner couldn't come to the ward at all. I have never felt more alone. It still feels so raw and painful and im 2 years down the line seeking therapy and on medication to handle the PTSD that has resulted from being alone post-birth. Inhumane is exactly what it was.

I really love how open and transparent these videos are, about the great things around having a child but also the challenges that come with it. I don't want children but I feel like being a mother is often such a romanticised thing, including comments à la "you'll change your mind one day!". Nah, watching videos like this, the birth video and 24h with a newborn vlog make feel more certain than ever that the good in having a child doesn't outweigh the struggles for me. But that's so deeply personal how that balance looks like and I'm grateful we get to follow your journey in being an amazing, loving mum to Rowan!

Student midwife here! I’ve loved your videos on pregnancy, birth, and post-partum, and think they’ll serve other & future pregnant people well (so realistic & informative and you cover topics that midwives often don’t have any time to chat about…although we wish we could!). Thanks for sharing about your experience with a stoma throughout the transition to parenthood, we don’t get taught ANYTHING about them so has prompted me to carry out my own research for future care I give. I qualify next year so will pass on this knowledge to future students :)

Firstly, I’d like to say how much I admire how you’re handling sharing your birth story while protecting Roman’s privacy, I think you’re navigating it incredibly well. Secondly, as someone who doesn’t have kids but wants them, this is fascinating! And it’s kind of cemented for me that I do want birth/kids in my future - because even all your honesty about sleep deprivation and the other hard parts isn’t putting me off! It’s really refreshing to have such an honest and in-depth insight into someone’s birth experience.

This was one of my favourite episodes of THD. I'm so pleased that you, Dan and Rowan all seem to be doing well physically and mentally now. The post-natal ward seemed rough, and can't imagine how difficult it must have been for you not seeing baby after birth. Can't wait for the next episode!

I don’t know if he’d be up to it - but I’d be interested in hearing Dan’s point of view through all of this. Probably a very different kind of stress. Anyway, I’m glad everyone is doing well now. Thank you for sharing all of this. I think it’s very informative and educational.

Once again, just so much admiration for every single person who gives birth. 10/10 super heroes! 💛

I had an emergency c-section too and ended up having a 10 day hospital stay due to baby and myself having an infection and my BP being too high. Thinking you're going home and then being told you're not is devastating. I think all I did was cry while I was there! Glad you're home and settled now 🥰

Sweet Lord, Hannah, I'm so sorry that you and Dan got COVID-blocked. As a hospital caregiver (in the US) who's had to constantly negotiate changing visitor restrictions, I agree that it often comes with an extremely high human cost, and I'm so sad that you all experienced that firsthand in the midst of an already super intense post-partum period. The post-partum and NICU and pediatric units are honestly some of the most intense places in the hospital in my experience with visiting people there, and had I been a chaplain in your hospital, I would have happily raided the nutrition rooms for the best snacks for you.

It hit me quite hard when you talked about how difficult the first night with Rowan was 💔. It just reminded me so much of my first night with my first baby, which I also found so so difficult and which got me to break at least once. And that was WITH my partner being with me in hospital 24h a day!! I cannot imagine how you and other people have had to go through this pretty much on their own, it breaks my heart to think about it 😥! It is just so overwhelming and intense and hard to have this little person you are suddenly responsible for, while being incredibly sleep-deprived and having to recover from whichever form of brith.

I'm in awe of how you manage to have detailed notes during such a chaotic period! And thank you for the Wordle reminder 😂

I appreciate you talking about these realities. I hope to try for a kid within the next year, and it seems like there are so many people who want to keep the gritty details under wraps, as if it would discourage people who really want to be parents. Knowledge is power and hearing real stories helps me feel more prepared and actually makes the idea of birth less scary. I'll stock up on towels lol

My friend had a c-section Jan 2021, her husband was allowed to visit one hour a day and she is dealing with a lot of trauma around that. She has just had another baby (c-section again) and he was allowed in for most of the time - she was discharged the day after so I think that helped! Thank you for sharing

I had a similar experience with an emergency c section. Luckily no covid restrictions, but it was very traumatic to me. The nurses on the baby ward were so cruel to me at times, even stating that my baby could die because my milk hadn't come in. Luckily, I was able to reach out to some wonderful ladies I know who helped me through it. We had to stay an extra day as well because she had jaundice. I completely broke down while I was there. I never want to step foot back in that hospital. I'm so sorry you had such a bad experience. Directly after birth is such a vulnerable time, and it's terrible they didn't allow Dan there with you. I can't even imagine that. ❤️

Watched all this, from beginning to end, as a man. Really enjoyed it. I’d love to see something from Dans perspective about his experience. Being a dad is something I really want to experience in the future and hearing from him would be amazing.

I can't tell you how good it felt to hear you say the c-section recovery was a walk in the park compared with previous surgeries. I felt the same way about mine (I'd had major abdominal surgery aged 16) and have never met or heard anyone else with the same experience until now so it really helped me. Thank you.

Thank you for talking about the complications of being a person with a disability post-birth. I like the advice for midwifes in training to familiarize themselves with things like stomas (and I will add insulin pumps, and people should add other medical management below that might be helpful for midwives to be familiar with!)

The sleep deprivation 😅 I can recommend reading the Gentle sleep book by Sarah Ockwell-Smith. I have a 30 month old and a 9 month old. Can’t remember last time I slept over 5 hours straight. The book really helped our family, me in particular since I breastfeed both kids so a lot rests on me and I was going mad at the start of my second pregnancy because of bedtime struggles. It’s true that you get used to it - the key thing for me was to manage my expectations and embrace the change by adapting my own sleeping pattern.

I recently had a similar experience: emergency c-section and four days post natal hospital stay with my partner only being allowed to visit for one (!) hour a day (in Germany)... Very thankful it was my 2nd c-section and my 2nd baby and I knew what to do a little bit more. I don't know how I would have survived, had it been my first baby 🥺

As a med student I always find your videos so informative and educational! I loved this one as well :D

As someone who never plans on having bio-kids, this was still as fascinating video! It gives me a better understanding of what postpartum time can be like so I know better how to support friends and family in the 4th trimester and beyond. Thank you for sharing your experience!

Thank you for having these intimate conversations with us! I loved how you acknowledge the beauty of our bodies but also keeping it real. Im nearly finished my training as a nurse and I just love hearing your perspective of your life with a stoma and how that makes your experience with health and well-being quite individual and specific. Holistic care is so important!! I loved hearing your perspective about the NHS as well, (I’m Irish so I work for the HSE) I also want to commend your respect for rowans privacy. Thank you for you and for your teams work on the hormone diaries and I look forward to future episodes!!! Congratulations to you and your little family you guys are made of tough stuff 💕

thank you for keeping the details of Rowan's medical care private. I had some medical issues myself as a baby and I do agree that that's my private medical history which I wouldn't want to be publicly on the internet forever.

I had to stop watching your content for a while, because I was trying to get pregnant too and until it worked, it made me feel anxious seeing you talk about your pregnancy. I am soooo happy to now being able to watch your stuff again and I find your videos (as always) helpful, entertaining and encouraging in their honesty. Much love to you and your family!

I had PPD for 6 years. Not on the same level but I didn't realize it until I no longer had it and started to feel normal. PPD is real and it needs to be talked about. I wasn't even aware I was suffering from it until i wasn't

Thank you so much for talking about all of this so candidly. Post Partum life is the part of birth and parenthood that scares me the most - probably because so few people are really honest about it. Appreciate you and your content so much!!

I’m booked in for my elective c-section next Thursday (in 8 days!) for our first baby, a little girl. I was so nervous to hear about your recovery, but I’m mentally prepared for it to be really hard. I’m worried for the blood-thinning injections, which I could be on for up to 6 weeks! I had hyperemesis during late 1st/early 2nd trimester, then covid during late 2nd/early 3rd trimester, and then I dislocated my coccyx not long afterwards, and had to deal with it with all with no pain meds, so I’m hoping that level of “suffering” has helped prep me 😅

So great to listen to your story! I'm a midwife student (and definitely looking into stoma stuff) and I've just learned from you that fathers (or partners in general) can have postnatal depression too! So interesting to look into this, I've never heard about it before.

Watching this with my eight week old sleeping on me and my five year old twins playing next to me. I'm so thankfull about how you share you're experience. I had an unplanned c section with my twins and a quite stressfull unmedicated vbac with my third and there is so much of what you say I can relate to. I feel so much less alone listening to you and that is amazing. Thank you!

The post natal ward is actually hell. Thank god for the health care assistants who were angels. The midwife on ours kept shouting at people in C-section recovery whose babies were crying because they were struggling to breastfeed.

i have a friend who had a very similar postpartum experience on the ward. she gave birth to twins in august 2020 and had haemorrhaged during the birth and had had blood transfusions. she was so weak she struggled to lift either of the twins, so every time either of them cried she had to ring for a nurse to help lift them, as her partner was not allowed onto the ward. she said the nurses became quite rude and would be harsh with her and act like she was being demanding. they were clearly extremely overworked and thin on patience, as the staffing numbers were not taking into account the loss of partners on the wards. you would’ve really hoped they would’ve realised this issue two years later, but the tory funding cuts have honestly made this impossible. really sorry to hear you went through similar xxx

Hannah, I'm a mom baby nurse in a US postnatal ward (one of the gems;) and think that is so so effed that they only let you have a partner 4 hours a day!!!!! You had such a long labor and ended up with CS and you needed him afterwards to process things and for all the teaching and sleep deprivation. And we are short staffed too but you're right-- the partners are SUCH a help advocating for the mothers and getting them water refills, telling us mum needs some BF help, etc. In US hospitals we are short staffed because the hospital is for profit and they want to save/make extra money by having less staff there for the patients/mums. So, essentially, higher nurse to patient ratios in the name of money and those same nurses quit because of the stress of having so many patients and not enough time for good care. Our restrictions with Covid have gotten much looser- we expect partners with the birther all the time through labor, C/S and postpartum stay. Especially first time parents. I dont remember a time through this pandemic when we didnt let partners be there, except if they had covid symptoms.

There's not enough help or support for breastfeeding mum's. I was told to put my baby on formula straight away as he had low blood sugar and my milk or colostrum wasn't good enough and wouldn't feed him, I told them I was going to give him his first feed and then I was made to give him bottle, they also told me I had to force feed him his first bottle to make him vomit to clear him out, I refused so the midwife did it 😔. I fed him formula until my milk kicked in, too 2 days and they offered no help or support. I had to find it myself. I breast fed exclusively first 19 months and he was a chonka 🤣. After that morning night and illness until 3 years of age. I'm so glad I wasn't forced into formula feeding for a second time. So glad you are doing these real topics for us all. Congratulations again 😊❤️❤️❤️

Hi Hannah i had my last baby 25 years ago pre being diagnosed with crohns I had 2 c sections and they where my first major ops. i had been told prior to my first (which was an emergency too) to move move move. I love the women who told me that and I still am grateful for that as i have had a lot of surgeries since i have done this. I am always careful but moving is the best advice your story is so like mine. Though not in a pandemic and so much love to all the women who are going through this. Hannah you and dan are doing a great job keeping a new human alive is tricky and keeping yourselves alive is a miracle 🤪 but you will get there keep checking in on yourselves and getting info out to us all. I just wanted to say that following you gives me confidence that when it comes time to get my stoma as it will come I won’t be as afraid knowing all you have shared

From all the women who havent gone through this yet - thank you so much for this honest and informative video!!!!!

My birth caused me lifelong disability, my mom has never recovered, and I am unable to carry a child. However, I will do everything I can to make sure my partner has all the support they need after giving birth, especially since I need extra support already, and we can't have two ill folks in the house. I know Dan has paternity leave in the UK, but in the US, without such benefits, a childminder and postpartum confinement nurse is something I'm already planning to save for in my early 20s. Postpartum care is so important, lack of it can exacerbate EVERY HEALTH ISSUE - I'm so glad your stoma is doing okay!

I appreciate this series SO much. I don’t plan on having kids for a few years, but it’s so helpful hearing someone talk so openly about their experience 🙌

I do not intend to have children - and being in a relationship with a woman means I can't accidentally get pregnant either - and yet I am thrilled every time you upload a new part of The Hormone Diaries regarding yoir pregnancy and birthing journey! You present and discuss your experiences in such an engaging manner, I just love it!

I think you’ve had Mama dr Jones on your channel; she did a video where she reacts to obgyn TikTok’s. One TikTok, the ‘midwife’ was like ‘categorically, if it comes to deciding to feed it formula or throwing your baby out of the fucking window? Formula, on balance, less damaging’. Your first night with Rowan reminded me of that TikTok

one of the main reasons i decided to get my tubes tied almost ten years ago now (at age 26) was the last part you've mentioned "there's so much about this you can't control". all the "what ifs"/risks - especially as someone who's struggled with mental health my whole life - just never seemed worth it to me. love your videos on the topic and i wish you so much joy and love with your child

I’m so sorry for you that you only had 4 hours a day with Dan, I gave birth about 2-3 weeks after you and my partner was able to be there 8-8 on a ward with 3 other women which was very helpful, I also had a baby in October 2020 and my partner was again allowed to visit my 8-8 but I was in a private postpartum room on that occasion. I think the issue is that the covid rules are so different from hospital to hospital throughout this entire pandemic. I had a much better postpartum experience the second time- the first time they forgot to bring me food and water, even when I asked. I also experienced staff making me feel awful, I asked for help burping my baby as she’d been crying for hours and nothing I did helped and I was sure it was just gas but they told me it wasn’t and to just try feeding her again, I was exhausted and scared of falling asleep while feeding and when I told them this they said ‘well I’d you can’t we’ll have to take them’ I know it wasn’t that they were going to steal my baby away but they way it said it made me feel awful and like I wasn’t capable of looking after my baby. Postpartum is tough, way harder for me than pregnancy and it’s something to be incredibly proud of.

I had to have abdominal surgery while I was 28 weeks pregnant (ruptured appendix) and recovery from that was awful! I had to stay in hospital for five days after and even when i did get home i couldn't walk properly and stairs were an absolutely no no. My c section recovery however was so much easier by comparison. I'm glad you have also found this the same. I was really nervous about having a c section as the last op was still so fresh in my mind and it took me right up to the end of my pregnancy to recover from it and I couldn't image going through that all again with a Newborn however I am definitely not so scared about them and if i need to have one again with another pregnancy.

I'm currently studying medicine, and also working in the hospital as a Health Care Support Worker, and your comments on how stretched things feel on wards are very much how we're feeling too? Like, the worst shifts I've had are not the incredibly busy shifts, it's the ones where I can feel the holes in the health system, and how understaffing and cuts are failing everyone. As a HCSW, I feel lucky that I can offer a bit of support for people who are experiencing often really overwhelming and scary parts of their lives. Even if I'm just there to get people food, or get them clean, or more comfortable, or help elderly patients figure out their phones so they can call relatives.

Legit LOVING the fact that you are keeping Rowan's info, face, medical stuff etc. So private!

Hannah, I couldn’t agree more with what you was saying about the postpartum ward.. I had a planned C-section on the 25th May, and was lucky enough to be allowed home the next day.. but not without a fight.. everything took hours, I felt overwhelmed with twin boys on my own as my partner had to leave.. meaning I was constantly pressing the buzzer for nurse help even for simple things and sometimes waited a while because of lack of staff.. it would have been way more helpful for my partner to have been there to help me and free up nurses for more urgent care or basic admin.. it makes no sense that my partner could be there all day until 8pm with no mask.. but then had to go home at night until 10am the next day.. I feel first time mums, csections deliveries and anxious mums should be allowed to have had their partner there the whole time. To help with me and to help the overworked nhs staff. X

I had my son in April 2020 when partners weren't allowed on the postpartum ward at all and we were there for 3.5 days alone. When you talked about how hard that must have been for people I genuinely broke down sobbing. It was a magical time but also the hardest. I feel like I related so much to your postpartum experience 💛 thanks for making this video Hannah xx

I work in consumer care for ostomates, helping people with stomas to find the right products for them. It’s wild how much stomas can change throughout your lifetime in size and shape! Happy that you were able to go back to the bags you love, and a shame the ring didn’t work for you. I hope you’re able to find the solution with your STN to stop the seepage you’re experiencing!

due in two weeks and love seeing your experience! glad everyone is well

I am watching your older birth-related videos because I am in my first trimester (month 2) with my first pregnancy and it is surprisingly twins. Symptoms have been pretty mild so far *knock on wood* except this week fatigue has hit me hard and I'm just trying to survive the work days and accomplish something. I appreciate you sharing your stories and all of the details! I'll try to remember the towels!

Just clicked but I'm very much looking forward to watching this. I'm also steeling myself for memories because, to be completely honest, we had a variety of traumas attached to the first 3 months. Emergency csection, tongue tie, near death experience from a uterine infection, my husband got rushed to hospital, and then 3 months of fighting for an allergy diagnosis. I remember nothing except screaming at a nurse (her colleague lied to me), pumping, feeding, crying and crying down the phone to the doctors. Oh and spending a lot of time at the hospital. That's all I got. I haven't got a clue what else happened. My husband only remembers the hospital car park where he sat a lot (we spent £752 across the 3 months on NHS car parks) and undressing our daughter to make her cold so she'd wake up and feed. She's about to turn 2 and I'm pleased to say, from a week after her allergy was diagnosed, our whole lives changed and things got so much better.

Very excited for the breastfeeding video! My baby was a preemie (34 weeks) and born 4 weeks ago today (You uploaded your labor video while I was in labor and I got to watch it!) she was in the NICU for 9 days and bottle fed, and has had a hard time breastfeeding. We’re slowly getting there with a nipple shield, but I have to pump after every feed as well to maintain an oversupply to help her get milk easier and it’s exhausting.

Thank you so much for sharing. In Australia, October last year, my partners were allowed during visiting hours, but had to leave during "quiet" times and obviously couldn't stay at night. It was the most isolating and horrible experience I ever had trying to keep my baby alive with failed breast feeding and recovering from a c-section. I was desperate to leave the hospital and go home.

Thank you for sharing your story Hannah! I am in utter shock about the covid restrictions that are STILL going on and how harmful they are to patients!!! I absolutely cannot imagine not being able to have my partner with me 24/7 on the post partum floor. My first birth I also had an unexpected 4 day stay AFTER the birth (3 days in the hospital before the birth) that ended in a C-Section and I feel like I needed my partner for absolutely everything! What a frustrating experience to not feel like you have the control and support that you need after a wild ride to get Rowan here. I'm so glad you had at least a few nurses who were there for you in ways that you needed at the time. The right nurse in L&D and post partum makes a WORLD of difference.

Never commented before but I am honestly appalled at the visitor restrictions for Dan, absolutely awful for both you and him!

My mom had two C-sections and the doctor cut her bowel on the second one, leading to her nearly dying. Advocate for yourself if you are worried about anything during your delivery, however it progresses.

My daughter was born a few weeks after Rowan and I knew immediately you were going to say night sweat at the end. I consistently warn everyone about these, it was horrific. We were the same in my NCT, all baffled you don't get told. Thank god they didn't last more than a few weeks.

I had an unplanned c-section 3 days ago and thank goodness it was a newer hospital where (still NHS) where there are individual rooms even postnatally, so my partner was able to stay the whole time, we were discharged yesterday. I cannot imagine how hard it would have been on my own, makes me very grateful knowing how others have had it.

There are so many things I love about this video (like seriously, I cried at the part of the video where you talk about the kind member of staff watched Rowan so you could go outside and meet Dan and get the wipes, etc. from him because he couldn't come on to the ward. CRIED. I've never cried at a RU-vid video before) but I especially wanted to say thank you for using inclusive language throughout the video. It seriously means so much.

I love this kind of content. I hope to get pregnant in the next year, and it is so helpful to hear people’s birth and post-birth experiences. So glad you and Rowan are doing well! 🧡

I'm so sorry Dan couldnt be there physically to support you in hospital the whole time. I'm in canada and gave birth October 2020. Luckily, we got a private room and my partner could be there with me. So lucky since I was constantly being taken for tests outside the room, and couldn't physically move for 18 hours after I gave birth. I've no idea what I would have done without my partner there. The nurses were so short staffed that even when I called for one it could be upwards of half an hour before they could come help. Every parent knows even 5 minutes with a crying baby seems like a lifetime, let alone half an hour if you need help to pick them up or get out of bed.

a brilliant video Hannah ,well documented and helpful to lots of mums covers many issues people dont really talk about, me being a carer i was watching this re stoma care etc , but watched you vids since the begining , your a great advocate for unsolicited info that is usually buried in mountains of jargon , especially around your stoma , love that you dont mince words you spell it out has it is , best wishes to you Dan and baby Rowan

I recently had a broken bone fixed with surgery, and my consultant was also super pleased with her handiwork. I get scar compliments at follow ups haha 😂 we love confident women in STEM!

Thank you for all this precious information. I'm 23 and single and not planning to get pregnant anytime soon, but I'm grateful I get to hear those stories in advance

100% agree, Tory cuts in funding (aka "making the NHS more efficient, and run like a business") is killing it. And the people it serves.

Hi Hannah, thanks for always feeling like the Honest Big Sister I never had in you videos ❤ As some other subscribers said, knowledge is power, and knowing all of this actually makes me want a baby 👶 🤣

I had a friend who was induced. Her partner was running late (life happens and one parent should try get some sleep), and then she was told to get up to go down to the cafe to get her own breakfast. She was like ‘what do I do with my son? Why isn’t there a breakfast trolley?!’ Which might be due to cuts and she was ‘well enough’ to get her own breakfast. Luckily a midwife stepped in and looked after her son so she could get breakfast. But it shouldn’t have had to been that way

Loved loved loved this, if you want to release a two hour directors cut on this I would totally gobble it up. Your postpartum hospital experience chimes with so much of mine - although I was lucky that my hub could stay with me for the most part. At one point after the birth a midwife looked at him and sent him home as he looked so tired, I figured that must mean they were all going to rally around me - but no no, 6 hours of the worst time of my life, I cannot even begin to get my head around how you managed on only 4 hours a day of Dan. Totally agree that partners help ease the load of health professionals. I had kind of forgotten about the night sweats...it's just a real... time. Sleep will come in time! my 4.5yo sleeps 12 hours straight now

You’re so intelligent and informative. I could listen to you all day ☺️

Thank you for being so open about your experience! I must say that I also had an easy c-section recovery (it was my first mayor surgery ever) and I too attribute it to trying to be mobile as soon as possible, like the same afternoon I was walking slowly around the room. The first night was also the hardest ever. And we also struggled a lot with breastfeeding, and 3 weeks in we decided to exclusively formula fed and it went amazing! So zero judgment to parents for whatever they choose to and can do. And also yessss the staff can be great but some are super duper harsh and give contradicting advise, I can't understand that! Overall I felt emotional and validated watching this video, a big hug in motherhood!

as always, super appreciate how open and honest you are with sharing your experiences Hannah. While I myself am several years away from thinking about pregnancy, being able to listen and learn from you know is so comforting and helpful. Lots of love to you

Im our experience, the whole labour-birth-post birth care process is a process of endlessly ramping up stress and effort that you don't think can get more intense, and then it does. Feeding was a two person process from day two or three (yes, formula is a lifesaver, don't hesitate to use it) with as much advice as we could get from the hospital staff. Luckily we weren't kicked out on day two (emergency c-section + bub medical issues) which is a very common story here in Australia. Hat off to the staff that looked after us for both our kids joining us in this universe, but bugger me, how we still arguing over funding (and an endless push for privatisation) of our public hospital system is just insanity. We're literally talking about the process that perpetuates our species and ensures our ongoing health. Thanks for these videos, Hannah. We need this sort of honest first person account of these experiences to assist new mums know what they may be in for. Love it. Keep up the great work.

The concept of the levels of sleep deprivation terrifies me as someone who suffers from severe migraines triggered by lack of sleep/bad sleep! Glad to hear you’ve managed to get used to it though, at least to some extent

I loved going through this at a similar time to you. It’s been so relatable since I don’t have a mom group around. I’m about 11 weeks post partum.

I'm part way through, but if you don't cover this, I'd love to see Dan's perspective on how it felt to have to leave you guys and how on Earth he kept himself busy for 4 days knowing you were stressed and scared and alone. He must have felt so powerless.

Speaking of support from friends! I have many friends who are all pregnant right now, some in the state in the United States where I live and some who live in other states. Could you do a video of ways that friends could support families after birth who are close by and far away. I have thought about sending a box of dinner to my friends from out of state with services like spoonful of comfort but I would love more ideas! Glad to have your videos back and have a way to support your future in your career!

Really enjoyed this video and - as someone who works in the NHS but never around labour etc - I was just so shocked at the part where you were upset because you ran out of nappies in hospital? The fact in that super vulnerable and chaotic time you had to provide your own nappies? Seems absolutely bananas! Maybe this is the norm in NHS England or something but 🤯 seems like the last thing you needed to worry about in that moment. Thank you for sharing your experience and glad you’re all doing good now!

The miracle of all women to deal with all of the bodily and mental changes. What an amazing group of human beings.

Thank you hannah, I really needed this! I'm 25 weeks pregnant at the moment, since finding out I've had some terrible news about a parent so I'm a bit all over the place. Having someone speak candidly about their experiences is so helpful

I had a C-section 3 days into first lockdown, luckily not my first C-section, which went fine, but the rest was awful even though the staff were as great as they could be, but my husband was only allowed into surgery and recovery bay for half an hour. He wasn’t even allowed on the ward, at all, ever, no visiting at all. PPE shortage, so no real help other than getting the catheter out about 6 hours later. Scheduled C-section so I had a lot of prep and luckily my baby was fine so no NICU and I was able to get discharged the next morning. But yeah, I needed a bit more recovery, I totally overdid it, but I wanted to be home, and they wanted me gone. Yay, covid….not, just a special time my husband missed entirely. I get why they were cautious, but I agree with the point you made about extra parent, less demand on staff for help, especially as it was our second child so knew what we were doing (kind of).

I can’t help but feel like so much of the hospital experience could be easily improved to benefit parents (and babies!) Serious props to you for sharing, Hannah. Glad you and Rowan are healthy and happy to see you posting again!

I’m so glad you spoke about bouncing back… I hate that people keep telling me I have “bounced back” and they can’t believe how slim I am (coming from people who said they were interested to see how much weight I put on after because I’m a very slim person) thought I don’t fit in my jeans anymore because my hips have gotten wider I have for the most part gone back to pre pregnancy size but I still hate it because everyone comments on it and I hate people commenting on my body full stop whether it’s to compliment or not it just gets on my nerves because it’s not their body to validate

i never really planned for any sort of children being in my future but after talking with my partners, who both want kids, ive found myself having fallen in love with the idea of raising a kid with my loves and feeling REALLY greatful to have watched all your pregnancy and baby related videos! ive got a lot to learn before we have a baby but ive got plenty of time to do that learning :) thank you for your really open and transparent videos about pregnancy and baby stuff!

My daughter is 9 and I struggle to watch any birth story videos as it really triggers me. I also had an emergency C section and struggled with feeding. A few years ago I arranged a midwife briefing (a Louise Pentland video prompted me to do this) where we went over my notes from the birth and talked it through. This was really helpful and I would recommend. I've also had some therapy to cover the feelings I still have from this time. Great video Hannah.

I had such a similar experience with the doctor hyping up her own stitching! I had a lot of internal tearing and the doc kept saying how she was so glad it was her who got me instead of anyone else. For the record I do have a lot of scar tissue so 🤷‍♀️

Thank you Hannah for being so open and honest about your experience! I had my little boy at around the same time as you had Rowan (mine was born on 2nd May) and I also had to have a C-section. Its comforting to know we went through similar experiences it definitely makes you feel less alone- I definitely wished there was a video like this when I was recovering it'd make me realise it was okay to feel how I was feeling! This is such a good video and will show future mum's a really realistic view of postpartum 🙂

Currently about to enter my 6th month and I’m both terrified and fascinated by what’s to come. I’m hoping I can live with the sleep deprivation, but I’m so glad I have a supportive partner and family.

Thank you for sharing all these experiences with us! As someone around the same age as you who is TTC, I've appreciated your content for the wealth of information that it is.

Thanks for sharing, it's nice to hear other birth stories. I had an elective section in June 2020 and my partner had to leave an hour after surgery was done. He said leaving was the hardest thing he's ever had to do. Obviously it was quite stressful for me as well having a new baby to take care of all by myself with limited mobility. Bless the nurses who were there.

Thanks Hannah for this update! I’m due in December so this has been helpful! Also would love to know your journey of breastfeeding so looking forward to that video as I plan to breastfeed but also don’t want to pressure myself in making it work so trying to prepare for all outcomes! Note on the returning to your pre pregnancy body - from lots of my reading and chatting with others breastfeeding burns a lot of calories and does help you return to pre pregnancy body so possible that it’s help you! All your videos of this journey has been sooo incredibly helpful so thank you so much for sharing! ☺️

We have no intention of having a baby but I much appreciate these videos. So educational and entertaining. Thank you

I felt exactly the same with the ward after labour. During labour? Perfect, supportive, amazing. Afterwards, loathed it. Some staff were so horrible whilst some were lovely. I hated having to ask for everything. Recovering in front of everyone sucked.

I've been sooooo scared of the 4th trimester! This video has been like a calming salve to those fears so thank you!

You are amazing, thank you so much for sharing all of this. It makes my heart break for my mum who had me at 19 as a single parent, and I was in NICU for 3 days. She had her own supportive parents around (thanks goodness, they are epic), but I still don't know how she did it. Doing it myself (potentially) terrifies me, but you make it less scary by your sheer honesty, so thank you 💝💞❤

Things it never occurred to me would be affected by "cultural"/structural context until this video (although it makes perfect sense now that I think about it): recommendations on how soon you should drive after c-section. As soon as Hannah alluded to not driving until the end of a 6-week recovery timeline I thought "There is NO WAY that is the guidance in the US. It simply wouldn't be practical/feasible." And sure enough, the guidance that popped up was no driving until 2-weeks post-cesarean 😅 Fascinating how "cultural"/contextual considerations (I assume) can drive medical recommendations. (I put cultural in quotes earlier as I wasn't quite sure how to best describe the concept. Driving being widespread & often necessary is part of US "culture," but also is a structural/contextual limitation? And isn't quite all culture in the way the word might normally evoke? I dunno, but that's why the quotes are there anyway, because I wasn't quite sure how best to capture it.) ETA: And a very brief Google of UK guidance seems to say "may need to avoid" up til the 6-weeks, not like it's a set in stone edict or anything. But just that it would be in the potential guidance enough to get passing mention, my brain immediately went to, "the US *could* never" 😅

Lovely video! I relate a lot to the night sweats, I've not given birth myself but I was on some antidepressants for a few years that gave me the worst night sweats: It's just so gross waking up in a damp and wet bed, mine were so bad that even my mattress got damp, although I've always had a mattress cover under my bedsheet as well. So happy you're doing well and really enjoying the videos!

I had both of my knees replaced about 2 months apart and the incisions were closed with Super Glue. Yes, I was glued back together and now 6 years later you can barely see the scars.

Hearing about your relationship with Dan is so sweet - "ooh, I get to stab you with a needle" to "I don't wanna stab you with a needle anymore" made me smile. 😊 Best wishes to the new parents and to baby Rowan! 💜💜 Thank you for sharing your story with us, Hannah.

I was induced on a Wednesday, gave birth early Saturday morning, and stayed on the postnatal ward until late Sunday. My husband had been allowed to stay with me…until we got to the postnatal ward. It was the worst night of my life. I was weak, I could barely walk, and the midwives gave me no support. It was hellish. I needed my husband (physically and mentally), but because of COVID precautions he couldn’t stay on the ward despite him having been with me 24/7 since the Wednesday (and having had two negative tests). I literally BEGGED them to let me go home on the Sunday, and thankfully they did.

The thing about the pelvic floor. A lot og women believe they can «save» their vulva/vagina by ordering a c-section. They think they won’t have any problems after, and well as you say, that is not always how it works. And its good to talk about it!

I had an appendectomy last year and I have to say that the injections were probably the worst part of the recovery (next to the plasters that tore up my skin). For every day the injections got more and more painful and I was running out of places the put the needle because re-injecting in the same area was too painful. And I also had that first post-surgery poo, it was very dark and stinky.