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When did you realize you were really in labor?
My water broke at 2:30 am and about an hour later we left for the hospital.
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What was the most challenging thing about going natural?
After my water broke I didn't start having contractions so around 9 am they insisted I start pitocin. This was very upsetting for me because not only did I want to go all natural for my baby but I had also read about many links between pitocin and postpartum depression. I had struggled with mild depression before and I was very afraid of doing anything to bring that back.
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What was the most helpful thing you did to prepare for childbirth?
A LOT of prayer and reading the mama natural weekly posts.
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What surprised you about your birth?
How quickly my body healed. I am 3 weeks postpartum now and almost completely back to normal. Even the morning after she was born I was able to walk around and take care of myself and baby. I'm not sure why but I expected it to take longer to be as active as I was. I'm very thankful to have not taken any pain medication so other than the IV, which was required by the hospital, I was able to move around and not have restrictions with baby.
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Despite your plans and preparation sometimes your birth story may not go exactly as you thought. That being said don't stress out too much if you see it heading in a different direction, your baby will still be perfect and when you are holding him/her it won't really matter how you got them out just that they're healthy.
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What pain relief strategies worked best?
I tried to stay calm and move as much as possible and I remember praying for strength in the middle of the worst contractions. When contractions were further apart and less intense I was listening to music and talking to family.
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What position did you end up delivering in?
My hospital only allowed a laying down position but up to a few minutes before baby was born I was able to move around and squat at the foot of the bed.
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How did it feel to hold your baby for the first time?
Surprisingly relaxing considering the fact that they were stitching me up for quite a while when she was laying on my chest.
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What advice can you give to other mamas who want to go natural?
Despite your plans and preparation sometimes your birth story may not go exactly as you thought. That being said don't stress out too much if you see it heading in a different direction, your baby will still be perfect and when you are holding him/her it won't really matter how you got them out just that they're healthy.
