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Video Interview With Christine
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When did you realize you were really in labor?
My water broke in week 38 one evening at home in our RV (we are full-time RVers). I realized that labor was imminent at this point and before too long we’d have our baby! However, though I had some contractions overnight, they petered out by morning. It wasn’t until I had gone to our birth center after hour 12, spent the day there seeing if I could get contractions started by using a yoga mat and ball, then using a breast pump for an hour that things really got going into active labor!
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What was the most challenging thing about going natural?
For me, contractions and pushing are very painful, and staying in a positive mindset that I can do it and endure the pain is the hardest part. I remind myself that it’s only for a bit longer with a wonderful reward at the end, and try to continue focusing on my breathing and vocalizations. My husband is an amazing partner in labor as is our birth team, and knowing I’ve had a natural birth before helps too!
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What was the most helpful thing you did to prepare for childbirth?
I saw a pelvic floor PT specialist that helped me prepare with appropriate exercises. I absolutely believe this helped with my labor and now my recovery. Also, having followed Mama Natural for years, knowing what our birth preferences were but being educated on other options, as well as having had two kids before, all helped me be as ready as possible!
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What surprised you about your birth?
My midwives told me baby 3 is the wildcard and she sure was! I was surprised my water broke at home in the RV two weeks early. Since we're full-time RVers, it was actually the evening before moving day and we HAD to move our RV to a new campground the next day so the timing was pretty crazy! I was also surprised contractions really didn’t get going on their own from that. I was surprised the breast pump was so effective at getting me into active labor and that things went so quickly from there.
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Do your research and prepare as well as you can, but give yourself grace if things go differently because you need to make some other decisions during labor for the best outcome for yourself and baby. You are stronger than you know and you can do it!
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What pain relief strategies worked best?
My husband providing counter pressure on my back always works the best for me. He really has to put a lot of muscle into it! This time I also pressed a comb into my palm for distraction.
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How did it feel to hold your baby for the first time?
Amazing. This time my husband was able to catch baby and she came straight onto my chest. I kept telling her how wonderful she was. With my first two, they had to be quickly whisked away as they needed to be checked after more difficult labors, so there was a bit of a delay before I could hold them, so this was extra special!
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What did you name your baby, and why?
Samantha Lily. Samantha was a name we’ve always loved. When we told our kids we were expecting another baby, she said that if it was a girl we should name her Lily Rose. So we said she could pick one of those names for her middle name, and she chose Lily! We love that this is the story of her middle name.
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What advice can you give to other mamas who want to go natural?
Do your research and prepare as well as you can, but give yourself grace if things go differently because you need to make some other decisions during labor for the best outcome for yourself and baby. You are stronger than you know and you can do it! If you'd like to hear even more of our story, we share the full story in a video on our YouTube channel (Never Stop Adventuring), and if I'm allowed to add a link, here it is if anyone is interested: https://youtu.be/w2iwykPWoFk or you can just search YouTube for Never Stop Adventuring. We are so grateful everything worked out, my husband was able to be there despite having to leave for a bit to move our RV, and sweet baby was born healthy and is now in the RV with us ready for new adventures!
