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When did you realize you were really in labor?
At 40wks and 2 days, I was getting ready for bed when my bag of waters broke. I planned to get some rest and call my midwife in the morning. An hour later, I was contracting every 5 minutes and filling the bath tub!
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What was the most challenging thing about going natural?
Let's face it, it hurts! I specifically chose to give birth outside of a hospital (in a birth center) because I knew the staff and options available for pain relief would help me achieve that goal. From 5cm, I had an uncontrollable urge to push. I tried so hard to fight it, but each contraction, I was pushing against all efforts not to. When my cervix stalled at 6-7cm for a couple of hours, I was bummed, but I wasn't defeated. Bring on the pitocin (without an epidural), and I soldiered on. An hour later, I was pushing.
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What was the most helpful thing you did to prepare for childbirth?
Even though I'm a nurse-midwife, I read the hypnobirthing book several times and my husband and I took a class. I truly had to believe that, just as I had helped other women birth their babies naturally, I could do the same, without an epidural. I didn't allow myself to doubt myself or my body. When cervical dilation stopped at 6-7cm, I didn't despair, I didn't allow myself to fall apart. We added a little pitocin and I was pushing in an hour. Some women may look at that as a failure, not me. I remember holding my 8lb2oz baby boy and feeling him squirm on my chest and feeling like such a badass. I cried saying "I've done it just like everyone else. I pushed him out."
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What surprised you about your birth?
I'm a petite person and didn't gain much weight in pregnancy. I was surprised that my son was over 8lbs. I also remember that when I was pushing, I did not want to try different positions. I was so determined to push him out, I didn't realized that I pushed for almost 2 hours (which is average for first time moms without an epidural).
I also had an uncontrollable urge to push from 5cm on. This was really hard because I knew it wasn't time, I knew it wouldn't help, but I couldn't not push.
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I imagine it wasn't great fun for him, and it certainly was a challenge for me but in the end, I felt like "Yes Baby! You and I, we did this together! Go us!"
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What pain relief strategies worked best?
Bath tub, shower, singing the ABCs through contractions (because the contractions would end by the time I got to the letter Q). Having my husband, a supportive nurse, and my midwife with me helped.
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What position did you end up delivering in?
Reclined squat
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How did it feel to hold your baby for the first time?
He was so big and slippery. I was surprised that he looked like me as a baby. I remember feeling like a team, he and I did it together. I imagine it wasn't great fun for him, and it certainly was a challenge for me but in the end, I felt like "Yes Baby! You and I, we did this together! Go us!"
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What advice can you give to other mamas who want to go natural?
1. Choose to birth in a place that has the level of care that you need (don't need high level of care, consider a birth center). Make sure to choose a care provider who is experienced and comfortable with natural birth.
2. If an intervention is medically necessary (induction, pitocin, breaking the bag of waters), don't throw your natural birth plans out the window, you can still do it! You and your baby still deserve the benefits of unmedicated birth
3. Don't beat yourself up if things don't go according to plan, they rarely do. Realize that in the moment, you made the best decision for yourself at the time.
