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When did you realize you were really in labor?
I was in Labor for a total of 45 hours from my first contraction to holding my beautiful baby girl. I gave birth on Friday afternoon but knew I was in labor the Wednesday night before. During the day on Wednesday, I felt tightness and what felt like menstrual cramps. As the day went on, they tightness was becoming more frequent but there wasn't any consistency. Around 9pm on Wednesday night, I started noticing the contractions were becoming more frequent (every 6-8 minutes) and they were lasting approximately 30 seconds each time. At this point, I knew I was in labor-- I was so excited and shocked that it was the day after my due date. I really thought I would go late like most first time moms.
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What was the most challenging thing about going natural?
Since this was my first birth, I didn't know what contractions felt like or what to expect. The early contractions were manageable and I felt confident that I was going to be able to make it through the process. As the hours went by and I moved into active labor, I had moments where I lost myself and felt like I couldn't do it anymore. I kept having to regroup and center myself to get through the next set of contractions. Also not knowing how much further you had to go was challenging, but I just kept on focusing on getting through the next contraction :)
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What was the most helpful thing you did to prepare for childbirth?
There were several things that helped me prepare, one of them was of course doing the Mama Natural Birth Course and reading the Mama Natural Guide to Pregnancy! I also surrounded myself with people that were supportive of my decision to birth naturally. In the months leading up to my birth, I tried to ignore or not even engage with people that had negative feelings towards my decision to birth naturally. I frequently talked to a couple of my good friends that had also birthed naturally and they were a good source of inspiration and encouragement.
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What surprised you about your birth?
I was so afraid of the pain of actual pushing the baby out, but that actually was not the most painful. I kept hearing about the "ring of fire" but only felt a little burning sensation that didn't hurt that much. Truthfully, due to the length of my labor I was so happy to be pushing her out!
I also kept hearing how mentally you "forget" about the pain of labor once you hold your baby. I can definitely tell you that once she was in my arms, every single second of those 45 hours were absolutely worth it and somehow
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I also kept hearing how mentally you "forget" about the pain of labor once you hold your baby. I can definitely tell you that once she was in my arms, every single second of those 45 hours were absolutely worth it.
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What pain relief strategies worked best?
Changing positions, deep breathing, hot water, the shower, swaying hips back and forth and counter pressure.
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What position did you end up delivering in?
On my back, which I thought was the last position that I would end up delivering in!
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How did it feel to hold your baby for the first time?
A rush of emotions came over me like I have never experienced before! All of the months of waiting to see what this little girl looked like were over and she was right in front of me. It was the by far the most happiest moment of my entire life.
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How did the Mama Natural Birth Class help you in your childbirth?
It was great hearing from other women and their partners about the experience of childbirth. The class had the perfect mixture of solid information but with humor and levity along the way. I loved the way the information was presented in a way that felt like you were talking to good friends the entire time. While nothing can truly prepare you for childbirth, this class gave me enough tools where I felt absolutely confident that I could birth naturally no matter what.
