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When did you realize you were really in labor?
It was about 3:00 in the afternoon on a Wednesday, and I was at work. I felt a contraction that was much different from the BH contractions I had been feeling for weeks, and I instantly knew something was happening; however, I didn't want to jump to conclusions and get myself too excited! (It was the day before my expected due date, after all. What were the odds? As it turned out, my baby was one of the 5% to be born on her due date, the next morning.) My contractions were consistently 20 minutes apart while I was at work, so I quietly finished my work, handed in my time sheet to my boss early, and slipped out the door to go home and get some rest. That was a great decision.
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What was the most challenging thing about going natural?
I was not prepared for how intense pushing was going to be. Yes, I felt more pressure than pushing with an epidural as I had with my first, but this time--when I was pushing without the use of pain medication--I felt an insane amount of emotions. I'm not one to cry publicly, but when it was time for me to start pushing, I cried before I even started because I was so excited to meet my baby. I cried afterwards because I finally got to meet her. I fell in love with my baby so quickly. I was not prepared for that.
The other challenging part about going natural and preparing a hospital birth was knowing when it was time to go to the hospital. I wanted to wait as long as I could to go in so I could avoid unnecessary interventions and the desire for medication. When I labored at home, I didn't have the desire for pain medication at all, so when I finally made the decision to go in to the hospital it was because I recognized the classic signs of transition. I trusted my gut, and when I arrived at the hospital I was nearly complete. The only thing holding me at 9.5 cm was a bulging bag of water!
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annieeloise
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What was the most helpful thing you did to prepare for childbirth?
Research, research, research! Understanding the process of childbirth helped me surrender to each contraction. Knowledge is power, in so many ways.
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What surprised you about your birth?
I'm surprised at how strong I was. Never once did I seriously doubt my ability to work through the contractions; in fact, I like to think I worked with the contractions, because I never feared them. Now I truly understand how giving birth can be empowering.
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Trust yourself and kick fear in the face! Fear is our worst enemy as laboring women, and I believe it was a lack of fear that contributed to a speedy labor and delivery for me.
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What pain relief strategies worked best?
When the contractions would wake me every 10 minutes overnight, I would quietly say The Lord's Prayer to myself during the surge then drift off to sleep, or just rest, between. When they intensified later that morning, listened to classical music. I became more vocal, and I didn't hold back at all. That seemed to help! Once I would finish a contraction, I would forget about it and lose myself in the classical music.
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What position did you end up delivering in?
When I arrived at the hospital I was nearly complete, so my back-up midwife was unable to attend the birth. (My primary midwife was out of town.) Because I birthed with an OB, she had me push on my back. This was the only part of my birth I wish would have been different, but I was still able to push out my baby girl in less than 10 minutes. Pushing on my back was not uncomfortable although I did have an urge to push in a hands and knees position.
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How did it feel to hold your baby for the first time?
I pulled her up on to my abdomen, and I felt such a rush of emotions--it's hard to describe. I felt like I had just competed in a race, and I was the winner.
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What advice can you give to other mamas who want to go natural?
Trust yourself and kick fear in the face! Fear is our worst enemy as laboring women, and I believe it was a lack of fear that contributed to a speedy labor and delivery for me.
