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When did you realize you were really in labor?
I was having irregular, painless (tightenings), maybe Braxton Hicks contractions off and on for a couple days. At my doctor appointment in the morning, I was 2 cm dilated. We live far from the hospital in a mega city with unpredictable traffic jams and I have a history of precipitous labor, so I did not want to wait till real labor started and risk giving birth in the vehicle. With the doctor's recommendation, we went to the hospital after we had put our other children to bed in case my labor started during the night. I rested off and on, but had to keep getting up to use the bathroom - much more than normal. Sometime in the early morning hours, the contractions started to hurt. By 7 am, I know it was real labor and that I'd meet my baby soon! We called our doula and by the time she arrived (8 am), I was unable to talk through a contraction.
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What was the most challenging thing about going natural?
This was my 6th baby and I had gone natural before, but due do scoliosis and a twisted pelvis, my previous labors were so painful that I did not want to experience that again. I opted for an epidural this time because I wanted to be able to hold my baby right away without shaking and being traumatized like I was with my previous birth experiences.
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4
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What was the most helpful thing you did to prepare for childbirth?
Ha, ha! We live on the 29th floor of a high-rise, so going up and down all the stairs (slowly) and walking a mile really prepared me for labor! I also did lots of squats throughout my pregnancy. This prepared my pelvic floor muscles and I was able to control my pushing. I also had no trouble controlling urine after birth, which I believe is from doing the squats. Squats are more effective than kegals!
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What surprised you about your birth?
I was actually surprised that the epidural helped and I was able to push gently and felt in control. My previous births were traumatic due to too much pain and the contractions were so strong that I actually pushed too hard. With this one, I was able to push gently, but still felt everything. So in my case, I went all natural except for the epidural, which I believe really helped with my scoliosis pain. It only took the edge off the pain, but it was enough to make the birth manageable. I didn't suffer any of the negative side affects from it and had no other interventions, not even a catheter. We did delayed cord clamping and I was able to hold my baby right away! Oh, and of course, the fact that this was a girl really surprised me! We did not know the gender and my first 5 are all boys. So to finally have a girl was really special!
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Definitely eat healthy and work out. Long walks, squats, and going up and down stairs are best. Labor is a marathon, so you need to be prepared. Once you hold your baby for the first time, it is all worth it!
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What pain relief strategies worked best?
Breathing deeply and slowly in the nose and out the mouth with my eyes closed really helped. Also, the epidural helped, but I still felt a lot! Epidurals don't work very well for me due to a twist in my lower spine, but this time (2nd time I tried it), it helped enough to make the end of my labor manageable.
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What position did you end up delivering in?
Sitting up in bed. This is how I delivered all 6 babies! It just felt the most natural to me.
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How did it feel to hold your baby for the first time?
Great relief, finally done, amazing!
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What advice can you give to other mamas who want to go natural?
Definitely eat healthy and work out. Long walks, squats, and going up and down stairs are best. Labor is a marathon, so you need to be prepared. Practice breathing deeply and slowly in the nose and out the mouth. This, plus holding my husband's hand is what got me through each birth. Once you hold your baby for the first time, it is all worth it!
