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When did you realize you were really in labor?
On Thanksgiving Day I was feeling an occasional tightening in my abdomen. I was 6 days overdue and before this had zero contractions. It only happened every few hours so I didn't think much of it. About an hour after I made a delicious Thanksgiving dinner, contractions were 20 min apart and then very quickly they went to 3 min apart. I knew then that I was in active labor.
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What was the most challenging thing about going natural?
The anticipation of the pain in the weeks leading up to it was mentally challenging. This was my second pregnancy. My first ended in a c-section after a 2 day labor when the doctor felt I wasn't making enough progress. They said my pelvis wasn't big enough to fit the baby. I went through that labor naturally even after they started pitocin to hurry things along. Those contractions were much stronger than what I experienced in my second labor which was not medically assisted. I knew that a natural labor gave me the best chance of having a successful VBAC with my second and avoiding interventions so it was a no-brainer.
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What was the most helpful thing you did to prepare for childbirth?
I got a doula and read Ina May's Guide to Childbirth and Birthing From Within. I was deeply disappointed by my first labor and was determined to not let it happen again. I really wanted a home birth experience but within the safety of a hospital. Those books helped me prepare mentally for labor. During my first labor I viewed contractions as pain to be endured. During my second labor, I viewed them more positively and was able to relax and let the contractions open me up so the baby could make her debut. I think the mental prep was extremely valuable. I also practiced guided labor meditation which teaches you to view labor and the pain positively. My second labor was 3 hours long from start to finish. I truly believe that my contractions were so productive because of my ability to relax and let them work. Also having a doula who was experienced with VBACs gave me the mental support I needed to view this labor differently than my first. If you want to birth naturally, get a doula!!! She was so calm and collected in the hospital and it was great to have her there. My husband is amazing and they are not a husband-replacement but rather a valuable member of your birth team.
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What surprised you about your birth?
My first labor was 2 days long. My second one was only 3 hours and by the time I got to the hospital I was at 10 cm and ready to push which was very unexpected. During my first labor no one was there to coach me through pushing. The OB just walked in at the end to say let's do a c-section. During this labor, the OB pushed with me for 50 minutes and she coached me on how to push to make it most productive. I didn't realize before this that there was a 'good' way and a 'bad' way to push. I thought you just pushed as hard as you could. She had me use the contractions and slowly build up the push to last 10 seconds while doing a crunch with my body. Once I got the hang of it, I think it really helped. I felt the "ring of fire" but I didn't think it hurt that bad and I mostly welcomed the fact that my baby was going to come out the normal way. I had them bring in a mirror so I could see and it was pretty neat to see baby's head about to come out. Graphic but neat. Once the baby's head was out the rest of her body came flying out and the OB really did have to 'catch' her. I had a 2nd degree tear and some pretty good bleeding and it took the doctor about an hour to sew me up and get everything back together. I think that was the most painful part and I was a little surprised by that.
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The feeling you get being able to birth a baby vaginally is beyond words! Our bodies aren't lemons and they really are made to do this!
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What pain relief strategies worked best?
The best thing for me was breathing out with 'horse lips'. Ina May recommends it in her book and it really worked. You basically breath out and blow raspberries. I also rocked and bent over a piece of furniture while moving around. It was all very animalistic in a way. Ina May recommends getting in touch with your animal side and letting go of the idea that you will be cool, calm, and collected during labor. I was mentally prepared to let go of my 'refined' self and I didn't care what other people thought of me blowing raspberries and it really did help me work through the pain. I also imagined each contraction as an opening rather than a contraction and tried to visualize my body opening up and getting the most out of each contraction.
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What position did you end up delivering in?
On my back. My OB didn't make it seem like I had a choice.
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How did it feel to hold your baby for the first time?
Amazing!!! Also my VBAC baby was 6 oz bigger than my first. The feeling you get being able to birth a baby vaginally is beyond words! Our bodies aren't lemons and they really are made to do this!
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What advice can you give to other mamas who want to go natural?
Get a doula, take a Bradley method class, and read Ina May's book. I feel that going natural is really a mental state. The doula is there to support you in the hospital (which you will really need for a hospital birth), the Bradley class will help prepare both you and the father who will also need the prep, and the book will help with your mental prep. Since I knew I wanted a hospital birth, I had to take some of the book with a grain of salt since Ina May is pretty big on home births and midwife births. Also, the Bradley class is a little long and is a commitment compared to a Lamaze class, but natural childbirth is a BIG deal so if you really want it, take the Bradley class. There's no way my husband and I would have made it naturally with my first if I didn't have the Bradley class.