-
When did you realize you were really in labor?
I had been feeling that I would go into labor early and just that day I had been noticing that I was having contractions. I had been having them but didn't really know how to tell until about an hour before my water broke. I felt a small trickle and I called my midwife to let her know that I thought I was leaking amniotic fluid. She said that it might just be some minor incontinence and to drink some water and go to bed. I did so. I went to bed with Ina May Gaskin's Guide to Childbirth. I was reading the chapter called "Going into Labor" and my husband was next to me doing stuff on his phone. Suddenly I felt a warm gush of fluid burst inside me and I said to my husband "THAT was my water breaking!!!" He rushed to get a towel under me as I was still gushing fluid. When the gushing stopped I got up and announced to my parents (whom we were living with at the time) that my water had broken and I called my midwife. She came within the hour and verified that my water had broken and I was having moderate contractions.
-
What was the most challenging thing about going natural?
After about 20 hours of labor (not at all unpleasant) I began pushing. I pushed for about 4 hours when my midwives became concerned that I had not given birth yet. They checked me and realized that the baby was coming down on the side of her head. They needed to turn her and slow down my labor. After that I labored for another 24 insanely intense hours and had leg spasms with every contraction! The most challenging thing about going natural was the trip to the hospital when we realized that I needed to give birth in a hospital for my daughter's safety. I had developed an infection and her heart rate was elevated. That trip took place at 46 hours. The last 2 hours were spent in the hospital delivery room and she was born exactly 48 hours from the time my water broke.
-
IMG_3079
-
What was the most helpful thing you did to prepare for childbirth?
The most helpful thing I did to prepare was to educate myself. I felt so well informed and prepared that I knew that every difficult decision I had to make along the way was the best decision I could have made in the given situation. There were things I decided at the moment that was not what I had previously wanted or intended but I knew that they were the right decisions. I was able to stick to my plan to have an un-medicated, natural birth with minimal interventions.
-
What surprised you about your birth?
The biggest surprise about my birth experience was how long it was. Not only that but that I was able to still have a natural and un-medicated birth after so many hours of labor. It surprised me that I had that kind of strength. I had always admired my friend's mother for laboring 36 hours with one of her babies and having had her water broke early on. I never dreamed I would "beat" that story. The other thing that surprised me was how easy the first half of labor was. The last half was really intense, but the first 20 hours hardly seemed like labor.
-
I felt much more prepared for having gone through the Mama Natural Birth Class, especially the part about the BRAIN method of decision making.
-
What pain relief strategies worked best?
We used the birth tub and the birth ball. My husband was really good about massaging me and holding me through each contraction.
-
What position did you end up delivering in?
On my back, legs in stirrups. (It was awful!)
-
How did it feel to hold your baby for the first time?
It was a great relief!
-
How did the Mama Natural Birth Class help you in your childbirth?
I felt much more prepared for having gone through the Mama Natural Birth Class, especially the part about the BRAIN method of decision making.
