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When did you realize you were really in labor?
I realized I was really in labor the night before he was born. My contractions were steady, but not close together. After a day of resting as much as I could, and then walking around Target for over an hour, my contractions were 5 minutes apart and we knew it was time to head to the hospital.
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What was the most challenging thing about going natural?
The most challenging part of going natural is overcoming the psychological aspect of the pain. You have to be committed to wanting a natural birth because when things start getting really intense your brain is telling you that you don't want to feel this pain and it can be so tempting to yell out for an epidural.
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What was the most helpful thing you did to prepare for childbirth?
The most helpful thing I did to prepare was constantly read my birth affirmations banner that my friend made for me. It said things like "babies come out" and "keep your eyes above the waves." It helped me even thought I didn't have it at the hospital because I had looked at it so much before that I was able to picture the sayings in my head when breathing through contractions.
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What surprised you about your birth?
How short it was! My first labor was over 30 hours long and ended up needing to be augmented with medication due to some complications. Needless to say, it was not the birth experience I had wanted. This time around I had hoped it would be different, but a part of me was expecting the same thing. With only about 7 hours of active labor and maybe 20 minutes of pushing, this one was very different- thankfully!
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Understand why you want to go natural. You need to have a solid belief that this is what you want because it is not easy, and you need something to remind yourself (or have your partner remind you) as to why you are doing it.
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What pain relief strategies worked best?
I was fortunate to deliver in a hospital that had a labor tub. Being in the water was wonderful, and especially when my husband used the shower head to spray hot water on my back during the contractions. Also, having my husband remind me during every single contraction that it was only temporary, that the pain would subside, helped immensely.
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What position did you end up delivering in?
I delivered in a traditional position on my back, but slightly different in that my midwife had me more flat with my bottom more up in the air and my legs pulled to my chest.
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How did it feel to hold your baby for the first time?
It feels amazing. There really are no other words. Its a combination of emotions from relief that it's over, excitement that you are a mother, and disbelief that this little person was just inside of you.
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What advice can you give to other mamas who want to go natural?
My best piece of advice is to understand why you want to go natural. You need to have a solid belief that this is what you want because it is not easy, and you need something to remind yourself (or have your partner remind you) as to why you are doing it. Between my two very different deliveries- one full of meds, the other completely natural- I can tell you that recovery, both physically and emotionally, was far easier the second time around. If nothing else, that alone was worth the hours of intense pain in order to have weeks of feeling human afterwards.
