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When did you realize you were really in labor?
My baby was 5 days overdue. I was doing everything I could to try to help him come naturally so I would not have to be induced like my two previous children. I ate a lot of dates, went swimming, went for brisk walks multiple times a day, my husband drove me down bumpy streets on late night dates while my parents kept our kids, and had sex. The next morning after having sex that night I had some bloody show. All that day I did, but no contractions. I ate a huge dinner meal that night, went for a walk, and went to bed. I had been having some uncomfortable nights of sleep and my stomach muscles were hurting very badly because of the stretching the past few weeks. That night I thought my stomach muscles were just hurting really bad. I also have vivid dreams and sleep walk and talk often, so I was having dreams that the baby was kicking me super hard and making it hurt. When I woke up at 3 a.m. and went to the bathroom, I realized that he wasn't kicking me, I was having contractions and they were four minutes apart. I could talk through them and they weren't super painful, but I needed to stop and concentrate when I would have one.
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What was the most challenging thing about going natural?
The hardest part was (1) not knowing what to expect and (2) having a steel will not to have an epidural while everybody around me sort of disparaged me for not wanting one and encouraging me just to do it again since I had it before. Also, it was quite painful.
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What was the most helpful thing you did to prepare for childbirth?
The most helpful things were first of all, going to a midwife instead of a regular obstetrician. Just the ideology of the midwive's practice and the atmosphere encouraged me to do what I really wanted to do, which was not be induced if I did not need to, and not get an epidural if I did not need or want to. I also read several natural birthing books including Ina May's Guide to Childbirth and Stacey Kerr's Home births in the Hospital which were very helpful, even with a third birth/child. And maybe the part I'm really happy about is that I read the mamanatural blog and ate dates as Genevieve suggested! I don't really know for sure that they were what kept my baby safe inside the water sac until the very end, but I'm pretty sure it was dates and definitely God's mercy and protection. I was GBS positive and allergic to penicillin so I was going to have to be on antibiotics for 6 hours before giving birth. Because the first midwife didn't really believe I was in labor and discharged me, I ended up being on antibiotics for only 2 hours. My water broke at the end of my labor and my baby came shooting out so fast at the same time, he hardly had any time to be exposed to the GBS, and he was fine.
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What surprised you about your birth?
I'm surprised that I was able to do it without an epidural. It was pretty hard, and at the same time looking back, not so hard. It's a very hard concept to explain! I would do it again, if I had another. I'm also surprised that my body just knew what to do. I had read that it would, but to experience it was so wonderful and amazing. I kept asking the midwife during labor when I would know to push, because with an epidural, I never knew when to push, I was just told when to push. I was pretty scared because I didn't know what to expect, and in the end, my body did it for me, and it did what it was supposed to do.
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I was in total awe that he was there and fine and beautiful, and that I had just birthed him naturally and so fast.
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What pain relief strategies worked best?
I made low moaning sounds and kept my mouth open and held tight to my husband! I thought I would want the midwife to press on my back to help with some back labor, but for me it made it feel worse.
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What position did you end up delivering in?
I ended up delivering on all fours! My husband was surprised because he expected me to get up in bed on my back to push. I had no intentions of doing that if I didn't have to ahead of time and never told him because I didn't want to scare him. In the end though, it just ended up being on my hands and knees. I had a time of transition (looking back, I see it was transition) that I had a slight break in contractions. The midwives suggested I get up because I had been lying down for a while. Every time I would move I would have a very intense contraction and because of back labor and tailbone pain I didn't really enjoy squatting or sitting on a ball and so I had found a position lying on my side that allowed me some relief. When I got up, I decided to sort of squat and sway through the next contraction. It felt like the right thing to do. The midwife said, I can see your water sac! I asked her if I should be standing on a towel or something. she said, No, we'll get you into bed in time. In the next moment I had a contraction, my water broke, and the baby came shooting out while my husband a nurse pulled me onto the bed on my hands and knees. The midwife wasn't prepared for him to come out at that moment and ended up dropping her phone in the mess in a mad scramble to catch my baby so he wouldn't fall onto the floor!
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How did it feel to hold your baby for the first time?
I was in total awe that he was there and fine and beautiful, and that I had just birthed him naturally and so fast.
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What advice can you give to other mamas who want to go natural?
If you want to go natural, get LOTS of support from your doctor or midwife, family, and friends. And then really stick to it with a steel will and do things to help you stick with it and make it easier for yourself to stick with it. Love on yourself and encourage yourself! With my previous two pregnancies, I either had some insurance and financial reasons why I needed to be induced, or I had obstetricians that were just very traditional about induction and epidurals and such and about baby coming at certain times. This time, I had so much more support about what I wanted to do and didn't feel wishy washy about the whole process. Before, I just said I was open to anything--that I would rather not have an epidural or an induction, but if I needed it, I would take it. This time, I said, no I would not have any of those at all unless it was medically necessary to save me or my baby's life. And in the end, I was happy with myself, but if I hadn't been able to go natural, I would still have a beautiful baby and be happy. It's about balance. Try to be balanced and not overly crazy, but get lots of support in the process.