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When did you realize you were really in labor?
Even though my mucus plug came out at 11 AM and I had mild cramping/contractions that started at 2 PM, I didn't realize I was actually in labor until 6 PM when I started timing my contractions and they were 5 minutes apart for 1 hour. Since I was 1 week early and a first-time mom, I was expecting to be late, not early.
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What was the most challenging thing about going natural?
Trying to explain to other people why I would ever want to do a natural birth at home. Hospital births and interventions are such the norm and default in the US, that it's hard to get people to be open-minded and look at all the facts about why home births are safer and better for mom and baby (if you are low risk). I'm hoping that my home birth story (and others') will inspire more women to do natural births.
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What was the most helpful thing you did to prepare for childbirth?
The most helpful thing I did was to establish a great support team. We had an amazing midwife and doula that helped us be well prepared and that we completely trusted. Knowing that they would be there with us during the birth and postpartum was very reassuring and calming.
The other thing we did was a ton of research on pregnancy and home births, taking Mama Natural Birth class and reading books.
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What surprised you about your birth?
The biggest surprise for me was being 1 week early and having labor that only last 6 hours when I was prepared for a late birth that latest 24 hours! It progressed so fast with few breaks between contractions, that I was already 9 cm dilated by the time my doula arrived, and the baby arrived just 1 hour after my midwife arrived. All the coping strategies, positions we had practiced, tub we had purchased and filled up with water, ended up going right out the window. We didn't have time to use any of them but were glad we were well prepared for whatever happened.
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The class really helped educate and prepare us for what to expect at all stages of labor and postpartum. We loved that it focused on natural birth (which aligned with our goals), provided supporting facts and data, and encompassed everything we needed to know.
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What pain relief strategies worked best?
Since my labor progressed so fast, I didn't have time to try some of the pain relief strategies I had planned (getting in the tub and shower, different positions with my husband), so the best pain relief strategy for me was when my midwife pushed on my hips when I was in transition and pushing.
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What position did you end up delivering in?
The entire labor and pushing, I was pretty much in the same position with variations: kneeling on the floor and leaning my head on the birthing ball/bed/couch. I tried a few others, but kneeling felt the best and was easy for my hips to be pushed which helped with the pain.
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How did it feel to hold your baby for the first time?
Surreal. Since he arrived early and the labor was extremely short, I was in complete shock that he was here already! I was shaking from the hormones and letting the reality wash over me.
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How did the Mama Natural Birth Class help you in your childbirth?
The class really helped educate and prepare us for what to expect at all stages of labor and postpartum. We loved that it focused on natural birth (which aligned with our goals), provided supporting facts and data, and encompassed everything we needed to know.
