<p>Who Run the World: Girls
Childbirth: The mother as a midwife ?????

Shout out to the original Showbizmama Queen Beyonce, after her success with her groundbreaking Lemonade album, she’s erm, twinning again, and is expecting 2 new babies!!
I’ve just had my second baby ladies! And have been over the moon with our latest angel – although cluster feeding and exhaustion has meant I’m only getting down to blogging a month later! That little minx ?<br>
For my recent birth experience – I threw away the rule book – the birth plan – aka the bible for most mums – and just went with an impromptu birth and ended up doing it completely natural.<br>
Not my first choice mind, I wanted an epidural but it ended up botched because the anaesthetist came too late, used a short needle that didn’t work, and I ended up with clown size swollen feet instead!
My husband was with me, and it taught me a lot about teamwork, resilience and patience too. He’s the shy and retiring type who I thought would instantly faint, but instead he was right in the action forming my cheering squad when we realised we were having a completely drug free birth and all that was left to do was go for it.<br>
With the baby’s heart rate slowing down as the umbilical cord was not only around his neck but had formed a coat of armour around his body – we had only moments to push before they were suggesting forceps and even c-section.<br>
Luckily, after 7 hours we made it through and the little man was delivered safely – in a real mind over matter situation, breathing like a bi****, and strangely enough not screaming – Tom Cruise and the Scientology crew would have been proud ;)<br>
So, I’m sooooo glad I wasn’t fussed with a birth plan, and the look on my midwife Rachel’s face too – relief! For many of those women with a detailed birthplan for no drugs, end up having everything on the table – because the reality is you don’t know how your birth will go so planning pain relief in advance is kind of odd. Also so many women suffer post-natal depression if their very wishes stated on the paperwork don’t go to plan. But I’ve learned with birth you have to be somewhat flexible if things don’t go your way. It taught me a lot about myself – shocked I did not scream (at him) although I ‘was a bit bossy’. Marvelled baby delivered safely, thank God ?, with me as the mother fully in charge taking on the role as the ‘midwife’ deciding myself when to push, with the support of an actual midwife too.<br>
It was girl power all the way as we shared our indescribable joy when baby Raphael was born and placed lovingly on my chest for feeding, by my midwife mum who arrived in the nick of time ???</p>