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When did you realize you were really in labor?
The night of my due date. We went out to a nice dinner and even had my parents watch our 2 year old. We were trying to take our minds off of being anxious and waiting for baby girl to come. As we finished eating, I got the strongest contractions I had this pregnancy. After dinner, we walked and they increased in strength and intensity. I couldn't even walk trough some of them. As soon as a took a break, they became less frequent again. I was in early labor like this for 48 hours!
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What was the most challenging thing about going natural?
Having the patience to wait and let my body do its job. I knew what kind of pain to expect, as my first birth was also unmedicated natural hospital birth. But after prodromal labor for nearly two weeks and 48 hours of early labor I caved and accepted a small dose of pitocin, as encouraged by my OBs. I do not regret accepting the pitocin, because I was really starting to lose my strength and thought I couldn't endure any longer.
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What was the most helpful thing you did to prepare for childbirth?
I stayed active and walked a lot during my pregnancy, even in the final weeks. I also drank 3-4 cups of Red Raspberry Leaf Tea everyday in my third trimester. I swear by this method, as my active labor was less than 3 hours! Also, eating dates everyday helped my cervix to efface and I delivered 2 days after my due date.
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What surprised you about your birth?
I was the most surprised with how quickly my second birth went. I had been on a very low dose of pitocin for about 20 minutes when my OB checked my cervix. I was already 7-8cm dilated! My daughter was born less than 3 hours after that and I only pushed 4 times.
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It was exhilarating. I felt so empowered that I had delivered both of my children without the use of pain medications. I was proud that I did what was best for them with the tools I had at the time. I was so excited to finally meet my daughter after a very long period of false and early labor. She was FINALLY here!!
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What pain relief strategies worked best?
I had my husband by my side the entire time. Knowing he had so much respect for my desire to birth our children naturally was most of the motivation I needed. He talked me through each contraction, applied counter pressure to my lower back, and helped me to straddle over the yoga ball to ease the pain, and make the most out of every contraction. I used yoga breathing and relaxation to accept the discomfort of the contractions and tried to imagine them as an intense pressure instead of pain.
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What position did you end up delivering in?
I delivered on a drop-down table, with my husband and a nurse holding my legs up. This was the same with my previous birth and felt the most comfortable for me. The pain of transition was too much for me to squat, even though I tried.
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How did it feel to hold your baby for the first time?
It was exhilarating. I felt so empowered that I had delivered both of my children without the use of pain medications. I was proud that I did what was best for them with the tools I had at the time. I was so excited to finally meet my daughter after a very long period of false and early labor. She was FINALLY here!!
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What advice can you give to other mamas who want to go natural?
To any mother who wishes to deliver natural: Set your mind to it! I felt my biggest strength was knowing what my body could do. Trust your body to do what it is designed for. If you have that mindset, and know in your heart that you can do it, you will. Also, arm yourself with tools: a supportive partner/doula, meditation/breathing techniques, and a trustworthy delivery staff.
