My Birth and Returning to surfing

My last pregnant surf was when I was 39 weeks and 1 day. One day before I gave birth to our healthy son! I took my little yellow foamie out into slightly mushy 2ft waves at South Fistral beach and had a fun splash around. 

When I got out of my car, still in my wetsuit, I felt a slight trickle of fluid down there. I thought it was salt water and carried on with my day. Then that day, I felt a few fluid trickles and wondered if my waters had gone. At 9pm we called the midwives and they asked me to come in for an assessment. They did an examination and asked me to wear a pad to test the fluid. They concluded it wasn't amniotic fluid and was just something that can happen later in pregnancy called 'cervical weeping' where lots of fluid comes from the neck of the womb and it can feel like your waters have gone. My mucus plug or 'show' also came out, but this wasn't a sign of labour either, so they sent me home.

Then at 2am in the morning, I felt a definite 'pop' in my belly and a gush of water. I felt my waters had definitely gone. Then I started getting waves of pain in my lower back. I didn't want to wake Matt as it didn't seem like labour had started and it was important we got sleep. I didn't really sleep much and thought to call the midwives in the morning. The midwife we saw confirmed my waters had gone but this back sensation was early labour and if proper labour didn't start by the following morning, I'd have to be induced. That I really didn't want as I wanted the most natural birth possible and I didn't want any complications that would delay my recovery to surfing!

That afternoon, the back pains got more intense and more frequent. I'd been practising hypnobirthing breathing techniques from a book by Marie Mongon so was breathing through them. Though I was concerned as I felt no tightenings in my belly at all, so how could I be in labour? What was going on? Matt helped me relax, massaged my back and focus on my breathing. We'd done a couples relaxation for labour course which really helped him be as involved as he could be. Matt convinced me to call the midwives again. With the story the midwife said it was still likely early labour, but when I was on the phone with these waves coming in quite frequently, she asked me to come in.

I was anxious when I went in, as I didn't want to be sent home and be told I'd have to be induced. Fortunately, she said my cervix was very thin; baby was quite low down which is why I felt it all in my back; and that I could go to the birthing pool! I was delighted and much more relaxed!

Then, through Matt's teamwork, the most supportive team of midwives who went all the way for us, and a bit of gas and air, our son was born in water at 10pm. The only thing I needed was a few stitches from a small tear, which would take a minimum of 3 weeks to heal.

Since then, it has just been a joy taking care and breastfeeding our son...surfing hasn't been as much of a priority as I'd thought. I do miss it a bit though especially with all the sunshine.

I learnt that you can't avoid complications from birth, as anything can happen, but you can prepare as best you can to have the smoothest, most relaxed birth possible, and thus hopefully a faster recovery. Hypnobirthing breathing techniques really worked for me and perineal massage is meant to help prevent tears.

Returning to surfing

We were all very exhausted after the birth and needed a few days of pure rest.  My body however still felt strong. I didn't get breathless going up the hill anymore and my appetite is back to being a bottomless pit.  On day 5 I started to do 20 minute daily jogs/walks along the beach to stay fit and get my feet wet. I have to be aware of my body's recovery and not push it, so some gentle strengthening exercises are in order. Nothing too heavy on the core or involving 'sit-up' like movements as my abdominal muscles need the time to heal back together again. And off course I'm exercising my pelvic floor muscles!

When I mentioned I was jogging for 20mins a day from day 5, the midwife was very concerned and said I should wait 6 weeks. But my body felt well and this exercise felt so great. So why 6 weeks? Everyone's body is different, but I found this article by a runner who ran every day through her pregnancy and returned to her regular running routine just a couple of weeks after giving birth. Phew, I found it reassuring with some tips about returning to exercise. As with everything it's so important to go with my body and stop or slow down if it doesn't feel good. www.foxnews.com/health/exercise-after-baby-do-you-really-have-to-wait-6-weeks

Breastfeeding is demanding on the body so it is important to stay well hydrated and eat healthily for recovery, baby and more so if I do any exercise.

I am 'bleeding' a fair bit as expected and this could go on for a few weeks, before the neck of my womb closes. Going in the sea too early could give me an infection in my womb or my stitches, so I'm going to wait for 4 weeks at least and see how I go. Unless I can get my hands on some underpants that work like a drysuit! Everyone's body is different so I'll take it day by day.

Exclusively breastfeeding means that my day is guided by baby's schedule, so I can't always go for a surf when I want or for as long as I want. He may get hungry anytime. Although at times it seems he can go for an hour or two between feeds, I'm cautious to leave him in case he needs me. Matt is very supportive and keen to feed him expressed milk if he does get hungry when I'm out, but a lot of guidance advises against offering a bottle before breastfeeding is established around 4 weeks of age as it may confuse them and affect how they feed. I also noticed that he tends to sleep more regularly in the morning with long 'cluster feeds' in the  afternoon and  and evening. We'll have to adapt accordingly. Maybe morning surfs are better. Another reason to be patient and wait.

3 weeks after birth
It was my husband's birthday and I was still bleeding, so I ordered some waterproof incontinence pads that said 'suitable for swimming'.

With the hope that I would stay dry. In the water, my body felt lighter, almost normal and it was easier to paddle around. I felt fit, likely thanks to surfing all the way through pregnancy and swimming on the onshore days. My pop up was a bit confused since I'd spent the last few months crawling up the board,  and I needed time to get myself into the habit of popping up like I used to. The waterproof pants unfortunately didn't keep me dry. I needed to wait a little longer for the bleeding to stop, even though the rest of my body felt fine.

4 weeks after birth
My bleeding uterus felt like it had almost healed and I didn't get an infection after the last attempt, so I braved another surf. Luckily my mum was with us and took our baby whilst he slept. He seemed to consistently sleep for at least an hour between feeds so we took this window to go. Surf when the baby sleeps! It's been difficult to time it really in these early weeks as more often I've been prioritising sleep when the baby sleeps, but hope this will get easier and more opportunity arises.

2 1/2 months after birth

Things are getting easier. A friend told me it took her 10 months to get to her pre-pregnancy surf ability. Duck diving is still easy as I did a lot during pregnancy and am a stone heavier! Paddling is also alright as is my endurance also thanks to the swimming I did. However, my pop up is the one thing that still needs work as I got into habitually crawling slowly up the board during pregnancy! So I keep practicing on the kitchen floor!

I've had a good few surfs now thanks to my husband, his parents and friends. On weekends and evenings after his work we have been tag teaming. I'd feed or cuddle our son while he surfs and my husband walks on the beach with our son in the carrier while I surf for an hour. Our son doesn't like to be still for long and is either calm or asleep in the carrier for at least an hour before he gets hungry again! We started to get him used to the bottle but he decided to refuse it. So, my husband has no emergency way to feed him so he stands on the beach with two arms in the air to get me out if our son is getting hungry. Usually I've fed him enough just before my session, but sometimes I haven't judged it quite right! Parents, and a couple of generous friends have also carried our son along the beach so that my husband and I could surf together. It does take a bit of organisation in the evenings so that we surf, make dinner and be back in time to put baby to bed.

A friend just created a Facebook group called 'Cornwall Surf Mums', so that mums can help each other surf by taking care of each other's children. I met up with one mum who didn't have her son with her but kindly took mine for a bit. I'm not sure how a mum will manage with our son in a carrier and their own child yet, but where there's a will there's a way!