Ashley Jamesさんのインスタグラム写真 - (Ashley JamesInstagram)「4 weeks on planet earth. 🌍 This time 4 Saturday's ago we were just leaving hospital. About 6 hours earlier, at 1:52pm our little Alfie Rivers entered the world. I've had a lot of questions about childbirth, and I honestly still don't know how to articulate the experience. I'd love to say it was the out-of-body, magical experience I was hoping for, but it was a little more complicated than that. My contractions started at about 7pm on the 8th January. I wasn't sure initially if they even were contractions, it felt like period pains. But I was desperate to meet him, so I started timing the contractions and bounced on my birthing ball and then went to bed - not that I was able to sleep. Fast forward to 4am, we made our way to hospital and met my amazing midwives there having called them throughout the night. I did my covid test and we made our way to the birthing suite. From that moment, time was a blur. I couldn't have told you how many hours or days past. I moved between the bed and the pool, I remember the reassuring words of the midwives, the chilled music I had playing, and Tommy holding my hands. The baby's shoulders needed to turn, which was a painful process on my pelvis (my pelvic girdle pain was excruciating at the end). I took pethadine, which although it only lasted a short time, allowed me to sleep for a bit. My instinct told me when the time was right to push. I loved this part of the experience. I remember feeling so in tune with my body. Focussing on the gas & air and TENS machine, and listening to the reassurances from the midwives and Tommy. I'll never forget the relief of feeling Alfie in my arms, hearing him breathe, and just knowing he was here and healthy... But also the exhaustion. This photo was from the moment he was passed to me. Whilst I found childbirth an experience you cannot control, I felt empowered knowing my options and the language from doing hypnobirthing with @themindfulbirthgroup and antenatal classes with @thehappybirthclub. I can't imagine life without Alfie now. My love grows for him every single day. I love the night cuddles the most. ❤️ I can talk more about childbirth & pregnancy in lockdown another time?」2月7日 5時38分