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When did you realize you were really in labor?
When I called the OB unit and told them about my morning and they said, "You should come in." I woke up with some water leaking out at 6:30. I wasn't sure if my water had broken or if I wet the bed. At 6:45 contractions started and they were only a minute and a half in between from the get go. My midwife told me to come in when they were three minutes apart, but I didn't expect them to start that way. We spent an hour and a half laboring at home, confused on whether this was labor or not.
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What was the most challenging thing about going natural?
I don't feel like there was anything challenging about going natural. I was blessed with a quick, complication free labor and the pain I experienced was expected and worth it.
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What was the most helpful thing you did to prepare for childbirth?
I drank red raspberry leaf tea right from the beginning and walked. I also read lots of birth stories on Mama Natural.
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What surprised you about your birth?
How quickly everything went. Being my first child, I was prepared for a marathon. My contractions started at 6:45 and I was 7 centimeters at 9:00 when we got to the hospital. Our son was born at 12:43 after only 23 minutes of pushing.
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Remember, your body was made for this and every pain is your body getting your baby closer to you.
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What pain relief strategies worked best?
Breathing through the contractions, hot water in the tub, hugging my husband, and affirmations from my husband and the nurses that I was doing well and my body was made for this.
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What position did you end up delivering in?
Sitting up in the bed with my feet on the squatting bar.
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How did it feel to hold your baby for the first time?
It was amazing, I couldn't believe he had just been inside me.
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What advice can you give to other mamas who want to go natural?
Remember, your body was made for this and every pain is your body getting your baby closer to you.
