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When did you realize you were really in labor?
At almost 42 weeks, I started losing my mucus plug, so I knew it would happen soon. I felt pre-labor the next evening and by morning the contractions slowly became stronger; I knew it was really happening.
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What was the most challenging thing about going natural?
Overall, not sleeping and the physical exhaustion was the hardest for me. I was blessed to be able to stand up through contractions, which made to pain more bearable, but after two days my legs were shaking. Eventually, I was able to rest in other positions to give my legs a break.
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Lilly-Day-1
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What was the most helpful thing you did to prepare for childbirth?
What one woman can do, another woman can do. Hearing and reading successful natural childbirth stories helped me prepare mentally. Learning more about what to expect helped me trust my body to do what it was made to do. Having a supportive husband who believed in me was invaluable.
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What surprised you about your birth?
I felt an uncomfortable pressure in between contractions that I was not anticipating, and my husband called our Midwife. When she arrived around noon on Saturday, I was in transition. Sixteen and a half hours later, our little girl, Lilly, was born. I had no idea she could take that long to come out after reaching the transition stage.
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What one woman can do, another woman can do.
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What pain relief strategies worked best?
The shower helped me relax through active labor. Standing up through most of the contractions was helpful. When back labor started, having my husband push on my hips was a huge pain relief.
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What position did you end up delivering in?
I was on my back in bed.
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How did it feel to hold your baby for the first time?
It was the proudest moment of my life. I will never forget the look of love in my husband's eyes when he saw her. She was perfect and nothing else in the world mattered.
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How did the Mama Natural Birth Class help you in your childbirth?
It helped me know what to expect and prepare for in every situation weather I was giving birth at home, in a birth center, or in a hospital.
