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When did you realize you were really in labor?
When my contractions finally got to the point of not being able to talk through them and were consistently closer together. I had been having irregular ones all day that were not intense enough to be sure it was the real thing.
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What was the most challenging thing about going natural?
I didn't find anything particularly challenging about going natural this time because I had done it before and knew I could again. But with my first birth I was in the hospital and was being pushed by my doctor to get drugs because pushing was taking so long and they told me I was "too tired" to do it myself. Thankfully my husband and I were very clear on our "why" for going natural and were able to hold firm in our commitment to that.
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What was the most helpful thing you did to prepare for childbirth?
Yin yoga has taught me everything about how to breathe and relax into painful or intense sensation. Having that practice made it almost second nature to use my breathe and remain open throughout contractions which I think helped things go faster.
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What surprised you about your birth?
How much quicker pushing was this time! I pushed for 4 hours with my first and only 11 minutes with my second!
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Commit. I really believe that you have to go into birth with 100% resolve to do it naturally and absolute faith in your body to be able to handle it. If you have doubts lurking then it will be very difficult if not impossible to hold firm when labor gets intense and transition starts.
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What pain relief strategies worked best?
Breathe breathe breathe. And at the very end using what my husband referred to as my "warrior cry" to push her out.
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What position did you end up delivering in?
Hands and knees. Highly recommend.
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How did it feel to hold your baby for the first time?
Amazing. My first had a medical condition and was taken from me immediately so when I was able to cuddle her after birth I was so grateful and also sad for my son who didn't get that experience.
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What advice can you give to other mamas who want to go natural?
Commit. I really believe that you have to go into birth with 100% resolve to do it naturally and absolute faith in your body to be able to handle it. If you have doubts lurking then it will be very difficult if not impossible to hold firm when labor gets intense and transition starts. On that note, make sure your labor partner is on the same page as you and will help motivate you when you hit that wall of feeling like you want to give up. My husband got me through it both times and I couldn't have done it without his encouragement.
