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When did you realize you were really in labor?
I woke up at 1:30am having contractions that were 8 minutes apart. At 4pm that day my contractions were 5 minutes apart and a minute in length so we went to the hospital. On the way there everything stopped and by the time we arrived to check in at labor and delivery I hadn't had a contraction for 20 minutes.
The nurse checked me and immediately after that, everything kicked into high gear and my contractions were intense with no break in between. That's when i realized I was really in labor and what I'd been experiencing at home all day was child's play.
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What was the most challenging thing about going natural?
Wanting to give up almost immediately when the contractions became so intense. Realizing my own weakness in my resolve as soon as the going got tough. Luckily the incredible nursing team at the hospital who knew I wanted to go natural, never mentioned drugs to me once. If they had, I may have caved but with the support of my incredible husband I regained focus quickly and found a rhythm.
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What was the most helpful thing you did to prepare for childbirth?
I read a lot about childbirth from different sources. I don't think I ever finished a book despite owning about 10 natural childbirth books but i took a little bit of information from a lot of places. Natural mama blogs were very helpful. Also, taking a natural birthing class with my husband helped him get on the same page as me and realize my vision for the birth, that was huge because it meant when I had a moment of weakness in labor, he was strong and helped me achieve the birth I wanted.
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What surprised you about your birth?
How fast it was. Despite thinking I was in labor at home for 14 hours, I really wasn't in much discomfort. When I arrived at the hospital and was checked to see how dialated I was, it threw me into full active labor. I went from 3.5cm to delivery in under 5 hours. The best surprise was how incredible it felt to push. I don't remember the pushing or delivery hurting at all, it was just such a relief that the contractions had stopped.
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Read everything you have time for, take classes and get yourself to a point where you feel prepared and ready and then don't be alarmed when everything you envisioned goes out the window but know that the power to have the most incredible birth experience is yours!
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What pain relief strategies worked best?
Breathing and holding my husbands hand. We came prepared with a TENS machine, aromatherapy, acupressure techniques, practiced visualization but in the end it was just the breathing that worked. My labor was so fast I didn't have a chance to use the birthing tub in the hospital room.
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What position did you end up delivering in?
On my back. I had imagined I'd squat like so many natural mama stores but on my back was perfect for me and she pushed out easily.
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How did it feel to hold your baby for the first time?
It felt incredible and unreal and like the best prize ever.
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What advice can you give to other mamas who want to go natural?
Read everything you have time for, take classes and get yourself to a point where you feel prepared and ready and then don't be alarmed when everything you envisioned goes out the window but know that the power to have the most incredible birth experience is yours!
