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When did you realize you were really in labor?
330am on week 29 of my pregnancy, I woke up for one of my many night time potty breaks to find I had lost control of my bladder. Well, that's what I thought at first, anyway. After carefully reading over the literature provided by my physician, I thought perhaps my water had broken. Let me say, my water breaking was not like what you see in the movies. I wasn't even certain it was my water. My experience was more like "hmmm, why can't I stop peeing?! Did I just soak another pair of panties? This is weird." After about a 30 minutes I began to experience mild cramps and proceeded to the hospital. At 29 weeks I thought for sure I was mistaken and I'd be sent home by the hospital staff. Boy was I wrong!
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What was the most challenging thing about going natural?
Everything! The pain was intolerable and I had to do it twice --twin boys.
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What was the most helpful thing you did to prepare for childbirth?
Chiropractic care really helped relieve some of the pregnancy pain and may have allowed both boys (twins) to be head down at 29 weeks making a vaginal birth possible.
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What surprised you about your birth?
Well... My boys came early. Also, I was up walking around right after the deliver. Natural delivery is a challenge but it did allow me to be up and moving around so I could visit my boys in the NICU.
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Do skin-2-skin after delivery!! Do your best to prepare for a natural delivery but understand anything can happen to even the best planners. Don't fight the contractions, push like you're pooping :):):)
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What pain relief strategies worked best?
Push through it! Focus on the end game!
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What position did you end up delivering in?
Lying on my back
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How did it feel to hold your baby for the first time?
Unfortunately, because they were preemies, I did not get to hold them after delivery. They were whisked away to the NICU. I held them separately later that evening. I remember being so scared to harm my precious boys. About 3 weeks later I was able to hold them both at the same time. What an amazing moment that was!
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What advice can you give to other mamas who want to go natural?
Do skin-2-skin after delivery!! Do your best to prepare for a natural delivery but understand anything can happen to even the best planners. Don't fight the contractions, push like you're pooping :):):)
