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When did you realize you were really in labor?
I started having timeable contractions early Monday morning around 3am. They were about 20 minutes apart but by 7am they had calmed down a bit. By 1pm they came back and were 10 minutes apart. My friend came over to check on us and visit, she casually joked about having to catch the baby during her visit. By 7pm contractions were finally 5-7 minutes apart so I called my mid wife (whom I had only met once!). She gave me an hour to update her. By 8pm they were 3-5 minutes apart, it was going to take my mid wife an hour to get here so she headed our way!
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What was the most challenging thing about going natural?
I guess the most challenging thing about a non medicated birth, at least for me, is knowing you have to depend on your inner strength to get you through it and not pain medication.
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What was the most helpful thing you did to prepare for childbirth?
The birth ball! Bowen was OP, so bouncing on the birthing ball helped get him turned the way he needed to be to come out the way he needed to.
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What surprised you about your birth?
Nothing was particularly surprising. If anything it was how quickly the warm water in the birthing pool sped things along.
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Have faith in yourself. You are perfectly designed to birth a baby. You are so much stronger than you could ever imagine.
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What pain relief strategies worked best?
Obviously you go into a hypnotic dream like state. Like the pain is there but everything kind of echoes in your head. I guess just listening to what my body wanted. Right before the fetus ejection reflex happened, I knew I had to get off of my back and onto my knees. That shifted the pain from my back to my front which gave me just enough energy to push.
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What position did you end up delivering in?
Relaxed on my knees using my fist to push against the ground.
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How did it feel to hold your baby for the first time?
There's a reason why you "forget" the pain immediately. Seeing him, how peaceful he was, he was worth every ounce of pain.
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What advice can you give to other mamas who want to go natural?
Have faith in yourself. You are perfectly designed to birth a baby. You are so much stronger than you could ever imagine.
