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When did you realize you were really in labor?
I needed to be induced at 42 weeks, but it was about 5 minutes after they applied gel to my cervix. My contractions started around 2 minutes apart and were strong enough for me to need to breathe through.
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What was the most challenging thing about going natural?
Staying focused and trusting that I could do it! I had a big doubt after a few hours since I had dilated much, my husband and nurses were able to get me focused again. I then had another big moment of doubt toward the end. My midwife was so great at reminding me to just trust my body, which was starting to push with every contraction. I thought I couldn’t possibly be ready to push after just 5 hours of labor (my first took days including early labor), but she and my body were right! I went from 6cm to baby in my arms in an hour.
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What was the most helpful thing you did to prepare for childbirth?
I’m not sure what was most helpful but I read and listened to a ton of birth stories, listened to affirmations and some HypnoBirthing/meditation tracks, and read Ina May’s Guide to Childbirth as well as the Mama Natural book. I had my husband read Ina May’s book as well, and we talked through our game plan a lot afterward, which made a huge difference in how prepared he felt (& how helpful he was able to be) this time around.
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What surprised you about your birth?
How quickly it all ramped up and how close my contractions stayed for most of the birth (about 2 min apart for the most part). Also how my body just did what it needed to do! I kept reminding myself to surrender to it and it really surprised me by how powerful it was. I had amazing help and encouragement from my husband and nurses to handle the pain, and when I could focus, my body just took over.
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What pain relief strategies worked best?
Having my husband press on my lower back and squeeze my hips. It didn’t actually alleviate the pain so much as help relax those muscles while everything else tensed up. Trying to fully relax in between contractions too. Also, having him remind me to breathe, and having my nurse remind me to keep my vocalizing in the lower ranges. My favorite bit of advice from her was when I was pushing: she kept telling me not to pull back from the pressure but to growl into it. And I did! I never knew I was capable of making noises like that but they seemed to help, and I couldn’t have stopped them if I tried at that point.
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How did it feel to hold your baby for the first time?
Amazing. I was so relieved and so happy to finally see her face. She was so alert and just kept looking around at me and her dad.
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What did you name your baby, and why?
We named her after her late paternal grandmother.
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What advice can you give to other mamas who want to go natural?
Know why you want to do it so you can remind yourself when it gets real. Have a few favorite affirmations in your head to focus on, and I found having a hypnobirthing track on repeat with wireless headphones to be helpful, though I think music would have been great too (something to zone out into). And have a well-prepared support person. The more confident they feel, the better they can help you without needing to ask at the moment.
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How did the Mama Natural Birth Class help you in your childbirth?
Know why you want to do it so you can remind yourself when it gets real. And have a well-prepared support person. The more confident they feel, the better they can help you without needing to ask at the moment.