-
When did you realize you were really in labor?
I woke around 2 a.m. on a Tuesday feeling uncomfortable and having some mild contractions. With them came pieces of my mucus plug and bits of blood. My husband and I were meeting our realtor to view a house mid-day, and I really wanted to make the appointment, so we went and I had contractions all through the viewing. It wasn't until six in the evening that I called my husband home from work. My mom and sister-in-law were also at home with us, and after putting our older boys to bed, we watched a few short t.v. shows until contractions ramped up, around 9 o'clock p.m. We called my midwife around 11 p.m., and from midnight on worked through contractions in a warm bath, on a birth ball and swaying in my bedroom.
-
What was the most challenging thing about going natural?
I was so tired. I asked the midwife, "do you ever have women who are just energetic and peppy through this process?" and whatever the truth was, in that moment she was kind enough to say "no, it almost always happens at night, this is very normal." This was my third childbirth without pain medication, but I would say my second "natural" one. It's always very hard to work through the exhaustion and uncertainty of labor, no matter where you are. I always think that if I only knew when the pain and "pressure" would be over (and what the final result would be - tearing? no tearing? prolapse? no prolapse? cord around the neck? etc...), it would be so much easier. My battlefield in childbirth is always mental.
-
IMG_6234
-
What was the most helpful thing you did to prepare for childbirth?
I chose my location and birth team carefully. After a negative experience in a hospital with my first, my husband and I chose a birth center for my second and finally we settled on a home birth for our third. My sister, a seasoned home-birther, noted that unfortunately birthing at home doesn't make it physically or emotionally easy, but it does protect from unnecessary intervention and allow for your own choices to be central in the process. According to my wishes, my husband attended me the whole labor, and my midwife and her assistant monitored regularly, but uninvasively. When the baby was born, he was in my sight and reach the whole time, even as my midwife addressed a few minor complications on my part. And recovering in my own home, from the start was precious.
-
What surprised you about your birth?
It's still hard. You'd think by number three it could get easier. More routine. Less stressful. In some ways it did - I wasn't as scared as with my first. But I definitely felt overwhelmed and lost at times during labor. I know that emotional journey is normal, but it still caught me by surprise. I was also surprised when, after hours of "pressure" but not pushing, my little guy suddenly arrived in just a few pushes. That had happened with my second pregnancy, but somehow I didn't really expect it to happen again. It is always amazing to just be done, and know baby is healthy and safe.
-
You can. It's hard, but it's not harder than you can manage. It will not break you. But in the moment, you will doubt this. I encourage you to surround yourself with people who affirm your natural birth choices. Their encouragement will be essential in the whole process, from pregnancy through labor, and birth and beyond.
-
What pain relief strategies worked best?
I'm not sure I can honestly categorize it was pain "relief" but I found affirmations from my birth team to be incredibly helpful in keeping me feeling safe. My midwife encouraged me that I was progressing normally, and with regular good reports on my blood pressure and baby's heartbeat, and my husband told me over and over " you're doing great" and even better, "you're doing so much better this time than you ever have." I'd felt like my previous labors kicked my butt. His encouragement that I was getting better at it was precious.
-
What position did you end up delivering in?
It was hardly a position, I had been leaning against my husband on my bed, but a contraction lifted me off the bed and him and I was in a strange reclined, half on side, half lifted position. It was weird. It got the job done.
-
How did it feel to hold your baby for the first time?
Precious. I'd lost a fair amount of blood and gotten a shot of Pitocin, so I was feeling pretty faint and hormones were causing me to shake almost uncontrollably. But once I was settled reclining in bed, I was able to relax and let my little guy nurse, and my tension just melted.
-
What advice can you give to other mamas who want to go natural?
You can. It's hard, but it's not harder than you can manage. It will not break you. But in the moment, you will doubt this. I encourage you to surround yourself with people who affirm your natural birth choices. Their encouragement will be essential in the whole process, from pregnancy through labor, and birth and beyond.
