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When did you realize you were really in labor?
About two hours after my contractions started when I went to the bathroom and lost my mucus plug.
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What was the most challenging thing about going natural?
The hardest part about going natural was not knowing how long labor was going to last. The contractions were more painful than I could have imagined and not knowing how much longer I’d have to be in this pain was really tough.
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What was the most helpful thing you did to prepare for childbirth?
I feel it was a combination of everything that I did to prepare but definitely practicing mindfulness practice and breathing exercises daily and keeping active with physical exercise right up until the day I went into labor. The mama natural birth course also was a huge help to prepare myself and my husband for the whole process.
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What surprised you about your birth?
How painful the contractions were and how fast it went for being my first child (9 hours from start to finish!)
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The most amazing feeling in the world with the biggest feeling of accomplishment and relief. I will never forget the feeling of his warm little body up against mine for the first time.
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What pain relief strategies worked best?
Breathing, deep moaning during contractions, changing positions during contractions, early on it was comfortable to be on the toilet for awhile and as labor progressed being in bed and changing positions including being on hands and knees because most of my pain was in my low back.
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What position did you end up delivering in?
On my back, I had envisioned being on hands and knees which I tried for awhile but in the end I was just too exhausted to maintain this position longer than I did.
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How did it feel to hold your baby for the first time?
The most amazing feeling in the world with the biggest feeling of accomplishment and relief. I will never forget the feeling of his warm little body up against mine for the first time.
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How did the Mama Natural Birth Class help you in your childbirth?
It prepared me for what to expect with labor (keeping in mind that everyone’s birth experience is different). I love that it walked through each stage of labor and gave different visual aids as well. It really helped my husband to understand better why an unmedicated childbirth was so important to me. I found the exercises that were given in the course to do leading up to labor were very helpful as well.
