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When did you realize you were really in labor?
I didn't realize I was really in labor until last minute. When my birth team asked if I was ready for them, I told them they could come if they wanted to. I had prodromal labor for weeks, and by the time I was in active labor, I wasn't fully thinking straight. The baby came shortly after they arrived! ?
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What was the most challenging thing about going natural?
The pain. It wasn't my first time, but when you realize you can't escape the pain its frustrating to say the least.
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What was the most helpful thing you did to prepare for childbirth?
Education and learning to trust myself, my baby, and the process. I've spent years studying pregnancy, labor, and childbirth and during my pregnancy I spent a lot of time "looking inward". It's important to know your body, and to know how to "listen".
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What surprised you about your birth?
How quickly it all happened. I usually have 2-2 1/2 day labors, but this one was 12hrs of active labor.
It also surprised me, going unassisted, how normal it all was. It was just another day in the life. I gave birth, we bonded with baby, life went on. My last 2 (hospital births) felt more like a crisis. This was just... normal.
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Make sure you have a good support team and mentally prepare. It may suck, it will probably hurt, but you WILL get through it. It WILL end, and it will be totally worth it.
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What pain relief strategies worked best?
None. I'm a suffer-it-out type and always have back labor. I was mentally prepared though, I knew it was gonna suck, but that it would end. I was ok with that.
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What position did you end up delivering in?
On my hands and knees, my upper half higher. I couldn't stand up or things would have gone much more smoothly and quickly during delivery.
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How did it feel to hold your baby for the first time?
Normal. ? This is my 3rd baby. It felt nice this time to not have him swept away and manhandled though. My sister caught him and handed him under me to hold and massage the amniotic fluid out of him. I remember thinking (maybe even saying) that I finally had my boy!
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What advice can you give to other mamas who want to go natural?
Make sure you have a good support team and mentally prepare. It may suck, it will probably hurt, but you WILL get through it. It WILL end, and it will be totally worth it.
