Charlie Jones
BBC Local Live

Flu can be exhausting at the best of times but it's particularly difficult if you're pregnant, a midwife at Ipswich hospital has told me.

Victoria Rothwell (pictured second from left) says it can be "extremely dangerous" so pregnant women must be encouraged to get the flu jab.

The hospital is running a big campaign, starting next week, to raise awareness.

"We will be targeting everyone who walks through the door, we really want them to understand how important it is, especially because your immune system is much lower when you are pregnant," she said.

It's particularly dangerous to catch it in the third trimester, she added.

Pregnant women can have the flu jab at any time during their pregnancy, but they have to wait until they are 20 weeks before having the whooping cough vaccination.

Phil Shepka
BBC News

Earlier on today we told you about student midwife Akos Sey.

She needs 40 deliveries to qualify - she currently stands on 39. She didn't deliver either of the two babies born this evening so far meaning the wait goes on.

But there's still plenty of time before she clocks off at 7:30 tomorrow morning.

You asked for the best advice for grieving parents who find out that their baby stopped developing during the pregnancy.

Bereavement midwife Ali Brett said she would encourage parents to seek support at the hospital.

"In cases where there is a still-birth or a baby is lost during pregnancy, we would offer medical advice and help," she said.

"We would want to look at health of the mother and see if she is at high risk of further complications.

"We try to make sure parents have as much support and help as possible.

"As a bereavement midwife, I am also a stepping stone to external local support services.

"I work closely with Petals, external counselling charity and the East Anglia's Children's Hospice. , externalI visit women and listen to them. I discuss regularly with the consultants so we can answer any questions.

"We invite the families back after eight weeks so we can discuss events, any test results, post-mortem results and then make a plan for the next pregnancy and make sure they are physically and emotionally cared for.

"There are various websites where people can find support, including Sands, external, Miscarriage Association, external and many others."`

Alison Littler, Head midwife, added: "Many women who have stillborn babies go on to have healthy babies later in life, with the support of our team of midwives, and we are here to help them every step of the way."

Charlie Jones
BBC Local Live

I've been chatting to Sarah Watson, who is a matron for maternity in-patients and manages 110 members of staff.

She's been a midwife for more than 30 years and says the biggest change she has seen is in the complexity of pregnancies, due to factors like obesity.

"I know I'm biased but we all work together really well and we do everything we can to keep women and babies safe.

"For me, it's a real privilege to be part of such a private and emotional moment," she said.

Phil Shepka
BBC News

I come bearing news of a child, born in Deben Ward, Ipswich Hospital - and boy, was he out quick!

Chris Mattin and Bonnie Sewell, who live in Ipswich, came in to the maternity ward at 18:00. By 19:10, their 7lb 14oz boy had arrived into the world. When I spoke to them a few minutes ago, they were already getting ready to leave!

The couple are yet to name him and are considering letting his two sisters do the honours. Congratulations!

Charlie Jones
BBC Local Live

We're entering the final stage of our 24 hour live coverage from Ipswich Hospital's maternity unit.

Since midnight, nine women have given birth at the hospital, including three planned C-sections, and one woman has given birth at home. She's still under the care of the team here, and very much counted as one of their births.

My colleague Phil Shepka is currently interviewing a woman who's just had one of those ten babies so we'll bring you the details as soon as we have them.

Midwives based in Ipswich don't just work in the hospital, some are community midwives who help with home births.

Dee Macey manages 70 members of community staff, including midwives who specilaise in mental health and addiction.

She was a banker and then worked in radio advertising, but was inspired to retrain as a midwife when her daughter was diagnosed with cancer.

"When she was ill I was pregnant with my second daughter and I had the most wonderful support. I made up my mind to retrain as a midwife and I haven't looked back since."

Dee's daughter is now 29 years old, and has made a full recovery.

Emma and Aidan Bulmer meet their baby son after a successful C-section at Ipswich Hospital.

Charlie Jones
BBC Local Live

I had a chat earlier with the team who look after pregnant women who have diabetes.

Some women have the illness before they conceive but many have no history of it and develop what's called gestational diabetes.

Women who are already diabetic often find it gets worse, Dr Ruta Gada (pictured far left) told me, due to pregnancy hormones and they need more insulin.

But those who develop it during pregnancy can find it more difficult to deal with because it's such a shock.

Sandra Arvanitidou, (pictured far right) a midwife who specialises in diabetes, told me there are often tears when mothers-to-be find out.

"A lot of them don't know anything about it and that is where we come in, to give them support and help them control their sugar levels via diet, tablets or insulin.

"We get to know the ladies very well," she said.

Key signs of gestational diabetes are if the baby is larger than normal and there is more fluid present. Mothers are sometimes overweight but that's not always the case.

Babies often have low blood sugar when they are born to diabetic mothers, there's more risk of birth defects and more chance of the babies developing diabetes in later life, but the team works hard to make sure the risks are as low as possible.

Roughly half of all diabetic pregnant women give birth via C-section across England but in Ipswich it's much lower at 36%, because the team think it's better for the baby if it's possible.

Phil Shepka
BBC News

So we've seen a lot of what goes on during and after the birth, but what about beforehand?

Well, Carol Worster here works for the community helpline, a telephone service for any expectant mother who has a query they need answering, however big or small.

Midwife Carol gets about 70 phone calls a day, giving people "reassurance, advice and arranging for them to come to the unit if needed".

Occasionally, she'll also take questions from mothers following the birth too, providing an all-round service.

Kate Scotter
BBC News

Memory boxes, family photos and a remembrance tree are available through Ipswich Hospital to help families who have lost a baby deal with their loss.

Carefully-designed, neatly packaged boxes filled with a teddy, poems, a lock of hair, a certificate, a little hat and more are made up for those who are dealing with a bereavement, if they want one.

Ipswich Hospital also offers photos taken by a professional photographer free of charge, names can be added to a book of remembrance and little papier-mache feet or handprints are made so families can remember their little one.

Bereavement midwife Ali Brett said they want to offer as much as possible so they can fulfill all families' wishes.

Mrs Brett is also working towards supporting those who have lost a baby through their next pregnancy.

The boxes are donated by the 4Louis, external charity, little gowns are donated by Cherished Gowns, external and Ipswich Hospital Baby Bereavement Group, external has a tree in Holywells Park, Ipswich, where a leaf can be added by grieving families.

You have been sending in questions about what happens after a traumatic birth.

The hospital offers a birth reflections, external service where women can find out more about their labour, said consultant midwife Helen Smith.

"We also have our birth choices clinic to help make a plan for the next birth.

"It's about listening and empowering women to make sure they've got good evidence to base their future decisions on."

While we await news on the other arrivals, here's a baby that has been in the hospital since she was born on Sunday, weighing just 5lb 10oz.

Because of her low weight, Ariella and mother Coral, from Ipswich, have been in hospital ever since.

But the big question is where did the unusual name come from?

Well, Coral and her partner Kieran were apparently arguing about the name for ages and Kieran pestered Coral with ideas before finally the name Ariella "randomly popped" into his head and it's stuck ever since.

They hope to go home tomorrow.

Emma Bulmer, 26, elected to give birth via C-section after it was discovered her baby was in a breech position.

The mother-to-be and her husband, Aiden, attended Ipswich Hospital for the birth of their son Logan, who was born at 16:51 weighing 7lb 12oz.

We followed their story as part of our live coverage over 24 hours on the maternity unit in Ipswich.

Mother, baby and father are all doing well.

Staff at Ipswich's maternity ward answer your questions about life on the unit.

Charlie Jones
BBC Local Live

When I signed up to hypnobirthing classes, I was dubious and my husband was downright cynical. Surely you can't have a pain-free birth without taking a large amount of drugs, we thought. But it turns out we were wrong.

Our teacher explained that hypnobirthing is about relaxing into a state of mind where you're not aware of anything around you, apart from what's happening to your body. It's a bit like when you drive to work on the same route every day. Sometimes you arrive and you don't remember the journey, because your mind was focusing on something else.

We were taught that lying on your back strapped to a hospital bed is really painful during contractions, and I can vouch for this. Gravity was my best friend in labour, and I spent the whole time walking around.

Image source, Charlie Jones

Controlling your breathing is key and it takes a lot of practise to learn how to properly relax, using self-hypnosis techniques. We were told that women only give birth when they feel secure, like animals who always find a small, dark space to labour in.

Stress and adrenaline can make everything slow down which is why some women struggle when they get to hospital, because they are out of their comfort zone. This was certainly true for me. I got locked out of my house in the early stages while walking my dog and my contractions suddenly stopped. They only started again when my husband came home from work and I felt safe and happy.

During the evening we listened to calm music and my husband used massage techniques to help me through the contractions. We were taught to welcome each one as a sign of being one step closer to meeting our baby.

Image source, Charlie Jones

The only time I found it really painful was when I was lying down so the midwife could find out how dilated I was on arrival at the hospital at 2am. I was already 6cm, so more than halfway.

At 06:00 my waters broke and I instinctively went down on all fours. I was so in the zone that I didn't made a noise, and the midwife didn't realise the head was out, because I was covered by a towel.Two pushes later our baby daughter Annie arrived. She's now a healthy and very cheeky 16-month-old.

I don't think hypnobirthing can work for everyone, and I was very lucky that my birth went to plan, but it took away my anxieities and made me feel really confident before and during labour. I learnt to trust and listen to my body and I still use the techniques today, especially for trips to the dentist!

For many women, deciding which pain relief to use in childbirth is one of the most vital aspects of the whole experience.

Hypnobirthing has become an increasingly popular method of birthing calmly and with confidence.

Ipswich Hospital , externalsays in many instances, women who hypnobirth don't require any drugs.

It offers a 10-week course over four weeks, teaching mothers breathing techniques, visualisation, relaxation and hypnosis techniques.

They educate mothers about the physiology of labour and help them better understand their bodies, and partners learn how to best support the birthing mother and how they can enhance the birth.

Ipswich Hospital said the best time to attend the hypnobirthing course, offered on the NHS, is 24 to 28 weeks into pregnancy.

Coming up next, you can read from our reporter Charlie Jones about her personal experience of hypnobirthing.

Phil Shepka
BBC News

Without wanting to exaggerate too much, that was an experience that I'll not forget in a hurry.

The time between first incision and baby Logan's first cry was gone in a flash.

There was an amazing juxtaposition between the mother and father at the top end, alert and seemingly calm, and everything frantically going on at the other end.

It was a real privilege to be allowed into one of the most intimate moments of a couple's life - just one of the many that have happened in hospitals up and down the country today.

Phil Shepka
BBC News

We're just coming to the end of the of the day shift now and here are the healthcare professionals from Orwell Ward - tired but still smiling after nearly 12 hours on shift.

Here at Ipswich Hospital, shifts change at 07:30 in the morning and evening - so we'll be seeing plenty of new faces on the wards shortly.

Have a good sleep day shifters! You've earned it.