Mama Natural's Birth Class Helped Elizabeth During Her Hospital Birth

When did you realize you were really in labor?

There was growing concern about the health of my placenta, as a T1 Diabetic the doc was keeping very close eyes on every aspect of my pregnancy. While baby & I were doing just fine my placenta was beginning to show signs of deterioration. Unfortunately that meant inducing me a week early. The plus side was that we were able to choose our date of inducement & our delivery Doctor. We went into the hospital July 2 at 0700. We were given pitocin by 0900. Labor didn't truly begin until 1300 when they broke my water.

What was the most challenging thing about going natural?

The most challenging thing about going natural was trying to avoid intervention. In my case it became unavoidable, but every decision to allow interventions: from inducement, to the doc breaking my water, to my episiotomy, were made with all the knowledge we gained from mama natural's birth class, our doula's advice & acceptance that sometimes interventions are necessary to deliver a healthy baby.:

What was the most helpful thing you did to prepare for childbirth?

Learn! The natural birth class was just what we needed. After months of research on our own we decided to invest in mama natural's birth class, & I'm so glad we did! It really gave us a clear picture of what to expect & allowed my husband to really understand where I was coming from when I talked about what I wanted during my pregnancy & birth. After watching the classes he was totally on board & then he was the one pushing us to find a doula.

What surprised you about your birth?

The shakes! The uncontrollable shaking after birth. This wasn't muscle tremors from fatigue, this was hard core, completely normal, oh so strange shakes.

I was so completely out of it it took a while for it to fully register that it was over & he was finally there. The relief & joy- indescribable.

What pain relief strategies worked best?

I was blessed to find I have a very high pain threshold. Even at the pinnacle of pushing what bothered me most was how tired my arms were. I was able to birth without any pain medication at all. I was given an anti-nausea drug in my IV, there was some violent vomiting (which was normal I had learned).

What position did you end up delivering in?

We were surprised to find out that part of my hymen was still intact, making it impossible for baby to make it through. When we discovered this I had already been pushing for about 2 hours & the placenta was showing signs of distress. We agreed to an episiotomy to get baby out faster. So I delivered on my back, feet in stirrups.

How did it feel to hold your baby for the first time?

I was so completely out of it it took a while for it to fully register that it was over & he was finally there. The relief & joy- indescribable.

How did the Mama Natural Birth Class help you in your childbirth?

Don't be hard on yourself. Get a good knowledge base & then decide what works for you, but don't be so set on it that when things go unexpectedly you're disappointed. It's life! It's never going to go exactly as planned. Just go with it!