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When did you realize you were really in labor?
The morning of Friday, June 17th around 7:30am. My husband and I made love and contractions became regular afterwards. They were still relatively painless and far apart so I knew it was early labor. I spent the rest of the day timing contractions and tracking my progress that way. Hubby and I went on a walk around 8pm Friday night and contractions kicked up in intensity and frequency during the walk but returned to the less frequent and intense contractions once we returned home. Around 5am on Saturday the 18th my labor became active and contractions got harder to handle.
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What was the most challenging thing about going natural?
The hardest part about going natural was keeping everyone's negative comments out of my head. I managed my pain well, but I would be lying if I said there wasn't a point that I questioned my ability to continue to manage my pain without medication. At one point right around the time contractions really started to become exhausting to handle and I had to talk myself down about needing help. This is where my birth affirmations became extremely helpful. The one that resonated with me most was "my contractions cannot be stronger than me because they are a part of me."
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What was the most helpful thing you did to prepare for childbirth?
I took a series of birth preparation classes centered around natural labor and birth. The class series is called Birth Boot Camp and it's worth every penny.
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What surprised you about your birth?
What surprised me the most was how dumbfounded all of my nurses were when I finally got to the hospital. They were all so amazed that I labored at home without any type of medication.
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Prepare yourself to have to ignore negativity. Educate yourself. Take birth preparation classes focused on natural birth. Believe in yourself. You are woman, you are strong, you are capable.
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What pain relief strategies worked best?
My husband was incredibly helpful in providing counter pressure (my favorite was the double hip squeezes) during particularly difficult contractions. Another thing that helped tremendously was standing in a hot shower. I think I took 5 showers while I labored. Towards the end of labor when I was feeling very tired and didn't want to stand in the shower again, I took a bath. I used a large cup to poor water over my belly whenever a contraction would start and it helped me so much.
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What position did you end up delivering in?
The nurses originally had me laying in a reclined supine position but when I expressed that I was uncomfortable my husband didn't take no for and answer when I said that I wanted to sit up. I wound up birthing in what I can only describe as a seated squat. This worked well for me as I only had first degree tearing and didn't require any stitches.
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How did it feel to hold your baby for the first time?
When they put her on my chest for the first time I was so shocked that I had created such a beautiful little human. I was immediately in love with her.
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What advice can you give to other mamas who want to go natural?
Prepare yourself to have to ignore negativity. Educate yourself. Take birth preparation classes focused on natural birth. Have a supportive birth partner/team. Labor at home as long as you feel comfortable doing so. Believe in yourself. You are woman, you are strong, you are capable.
