Birth Affirmations, Cross-Fit, Mama Natural Birth Course And Watching Birth Videos Helped Esire Achieve Her Natural Hospital Birth

When did you realize you were really in labor?

We had just called it a day and gone to bed at around 11 pm when I started having mild contractions that felt like strong menstrual cramps. I had Braxton Hicks before but I knew these contractions were different as they were quite regular and followed a pattern. It also did not matter that I changed positions in bed, they kept coming with the same intensity that I had to get out of bed, go to our lounge room and turn on the TV as I breathed through the surges.

What was the most challenging thing about going natural?

I had back labor due to our baby's posterior position and the pain on my lower back was intense. I think the most challenging thing about going natural is the unknown. You don't know how much more painful it will get, how much longer it will be and how much more you can handle. My waters took a while to break as baby was still sitting high and was too comfortable inside my belly. They finally broke over an hour after I had reached 10 cm dilation.

What was the most helpful thing you did to prepare for childbirth?

There were a number of factors that helped me prepare for the birth of my first child. Mental strength and stamina played a big role in labor and the pushing stage. I had birth affirmations in my bathroom mirror which I saw everyday and were almost imprinted in my mindset when I was going through labor. This also helped me change my perspective on birth and see contractions as a positive experience despite the pain. I was in labor for about 15 hours and active labor actually took the longest. I had the stamina to keep going and I believe this is due to having a fit and active pregnancy. I trained cross-fit 6 days a week up to 39 weeks and continued to train up to two days before I gave birth at a very slow intensity. Lastly doing the mama natural birth course helped my partner and I tremendously, and watching birth videos prepared me to be ready for things to turn different ways and that no two births are the same.

What surprised you about your birth?

Having an active labor was definitely my goal and I was able to do this however the positions I thought were going to be comfortable such as squatting and being in all fours actually didn't work for me on the day. We played with different positions and I am glad I had prepared myself to adapt to whatever happened on the day. The biggest surprise was pushing in the most traditional way, on my back with my legs in stirrups holding onto my husband in one side and onto my doula on the other. Funnily enough this position felt the most comfortable despite the intense back pain and I was able to push effectively this way. It took me a while (about 1.5 hours) to understand how to push but once I got there, our baby girl was out in 4 pushes with no vacuum or forceps, as the medical team had expected to use.

The feeling is indescribable. I had my eyes closed throughout labor and the pushing stage. Opened my eyes and seeing this tiny human earth-side was heaven. She was placed straight on my chest and all I could say was my baby, my baby. I was lost for words.

What pain relief strategies worked best?

I breathed through every contraction. I will breath in before they came and breath out as they got stronger. For the intense lower back pain, the shower at the hospital had two heads and that helped me relieve the back pain and being in water just relaxed me. My husband and the Doula had to press on my lower back as I felt every contraction.

What position did you end up delivering in?

I ended up delivering on my back with my legs in stirrups. I can't believe I delivered in the most traditional way however when it got to pushing, we tried the birth stool with no success. Our obstetrician had to do one final cervical check so I had to get on the bed and at that moment, a strong contraction came around and I pushed effectively.

How did it feel to hold your baby for the first time?

The feeling is indescribable. I had my eyes closed throughout labor and the pushing stage and I could hear my husband tell that he could see her little hairs and then her head. Next thing I know he said she's out! I opened my eyes and seeing this tiny human earth-side was heaven. She was placed straight on my chest and all I could say was my baby, my baby. I was lost for words.

How did the Mama Natural Birth Class help you in your childbirth?

Before undertaking the course, all my husband knew about birth was it was either done vaginally or by cesarean. We didn't know all the ins and outs, all the different stages and how it was so different to each woman. Being able to watch a birth video in every lesson also helped us see how things could turn out and made me feel empowered that all these women had birthed before me then I could do it. The mama natural birth class also made us get a doula. We had considered it before but after doing the course we knew we had to have one as part of our support team. We did the course after I was 36 weeks and we hired a Doula at 38 weeks but we are so glad we made that choice.