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When did you realize you were really in labor?
During the last two months of pregnancy I had 4 or 5 days of "false" labor contractions that lasted several hours before slowly fading away. So when I started having contractions at 1:30 AM, I had a hard time believing they could be the real thing. It wasn't until I'd been in the shower for nearly an hour trying to relax that I realized these were NOT going away and it was time to be at the birth center!
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What was the most challenging thing about going natural?
That's a weird question for me because I cannot imagine giving birth any other way than naturally. For me, a hospital setting or any interventions would have made the experience even more stressful. The most challenging thing about giving birth was the fear I experienced as soon as my contractions started. That fear stayed with me the entire labor and delivery. Every next step felt terrifying and the uncertainty of how each new thing would be really stressed me out.
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What was the most helpful thing you did to prepare for childbirth?
Choosing the birth center that we used. That was the best thing we did. I loved the environment they create there and the birth team they provided me was incredible. We also took a birth class which helped my husband know how to be more involved and how to help support me during labor. His support was invaluable and I know the class influenced that.
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What surprised you about your birth?
I was surprised by the difficulty of labor. It's so unlike any other experience that nothing could have prepared me for it. It also surprised me how vocal I was during labor. That was one of my main coping mechanisms during contractions.
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Just do it! You're body really is capable of this!
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What pain relief strategies worked best?
Nothing. I had too much fear in my mind and resistance in my body for anything I'd practiced to really work. I think I was fighting it the whole time which only made the pain worse. I did do a lot of shouting during contractions and that helped me through them.
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What position did you end up delivering in?
Laying down in the tub.
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How did it feel to hold your baby for the first time?
Very surreal. Not at all how I had imagined. I was in a state of shock and exhaustion by the time he finally came out and all I could think about was delivering the placenta. However, the memory of holding him for the first time continues to grow sweeter each day as I come to know and love this child more.
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What advice can you give to other mamas who want to go natural?
Just do it! You're body really is capable of this! Follow your heart in selecting a birth team. That made all the difference for me.
