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When did you realize you were really in labor?
Around 9am, contractions were really solid and getting painful. It built up very slowly, over the course of 3 days, and every night they'd get stronger.
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What was the most challenging thing about going natural?
Remembering to labor however I needed to; that I could move, make noise, whatever it took to work through the pain and keep labor progressive.
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What was the most helpful thing you did to prepare for childbirth?
Join mothering/birth groups. I don't have a tribe in real life, but the ladies I met through Facebook groups helped tremendously with their stories and support. I found myself using their advice all through pregnancy, right up to the second my daughter was born.
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What surprised you about your birth?
As painful as it was, every bit of pain disappeared completely the moment she was born. One moment I was sure I couldn't do it, and the next I was laughing and smiling, holding my baby. If anything about birth is magic, it's the way a precious baby makes pain disappear.
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When they tell you that transition is the last hurdle, that you'll believe you can't go on but the baby is nearly there, believe them! You absolutely CAN, and when you do, you'll feel like you can conquer the world.
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What pain relief strategies worked best?
I didn't take classes because I wanted my mind and body to do whatever came most naturally, which was breathing and vocalising. Lots of talking, lots of moving and swaying.
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What position did you end up delivering in?
On my left side, with the midwife holding my leg.
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How did it feel to hold your baby for the first time?
Relief. Intense relief!
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What advice can you give to other mamas who want to go natural?
When they tell you that transition is the last hurdle, that you'll believe you can't go on but the baby is nearly there, believe them! You absolutely CAN, and when you do, you'll feel like you can conquer the world.
