This week on Tinto Talks, we top off our birth stories series with first-time mum Tash’s forceps delivery during a pandemic. This episode is the final part in our birth stories series, where we talk to mums before and after their births.

Tash and Octavia start by discussing the realities of giving birth and having a newborn during a pandemic. It’s not quite the maternity leave Tash imagined, and the lack of social contact has – understandably – had an impact on her and her little boy.

We then deep dive into Tash’s birth story. Tash describes how, 24 hours after her water broke at home, she was admitted to hospital as she was not progressing apart from a few Braxton Hicks. After agreeing to an induction, Tash explains how quickly the contractions started and how she managed the pain with an epidural, delivering her son safely with an episiotomy and forceps. Octavia and Tash talk through informed consent, episiotomy and how to minimise birth trauma even when things don’t go to plan.

Towards the end of the podcast, Octavia and Tash discuss recovery, including going to the loo with stitches, haemorrhoids, scar massage, pelvic floor exercises and Mummy MOT.

And finally, we round it off by talking through some coping mechanisms for dealing with the strain of Covid as a new mum and how we’re trying to find gratitude among the loneliness and monotony of lockdown.

Thank you so much for listening. If you’d like to know any more about what we discussed, here are some resources that you may find useful:

https://www.tommys.org/pregnancy-information/giving-birth/what-expect-when-your-waters-breakWhat to expect when your water breakhttps://www.tommys.org/pregnancy-information/giving-birth/braxton-hicksBraxton hickshttps://www.esht.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/0331.pdf Information for women planning to give birth at homehttps://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/cg70/documents/induction-of-labour-update-of-guideline-d-nice-guideline-for-consultation2Guidelines for induction and alternative methods:https://www.nhs.uk/pregnancy/labour-and-birth/what-happens/episiotomy-and-perineal-tears/Episiotomyhttps://www.nhs.uk/pregnancy/labour-and-birth/what-happens/forceps-or-vacuum-delivery/Forceps deliveries:https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/piles-haemorrhoids/Haemorrhoids:https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/heavy.com/baby/2017/09/top-best-perineal-ice-packs-postpartum-cold-instant/amp/Ice packs:https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26395154/?fbclid=IwAR1HgZBmCJDk4Bf2VT5W0NGuu0uRc902g5PFt5UrRlHejU5IMX44wk_6B8QEvidence for ice packhttps://www.amazon.co.uk/Perineal-Cold-Packs-Need-Freeze/dp/B01N9JEKY8Cold pack for stiches or post partumhttps://myexpertmidwife.com/products/spritz-for-bits?gclid=Cj0KCQiA0fr_BRDaARIsAABw4EsyCtI7SUeikl44wxcsiU8hxTjHVpnOPvQ96Lwcwm4l2vYEswzwXj0aAiLyEALw_wcB Spritz for bitzhttps://www.guysandstthomas.nhs.uk/resources/patient-information/therapies/physiotherapy/massage-perineal-episiotomy-caesarean-scars.aspxScar Massagehttps://www.bristolmassagetherapy.co.uk/tips-articles/massaging-a-c-section-scarScar massagehttps://www.themummymot.comThe Mummy MOT