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When did you realize you were really in labor?
I’d had many bouts of false labor in the 4 weeks preceding my due date, but on my due date we got home from a long walk at about 8 PM, and I was using the bathroom. The contractions just started feeling real with cramping around my cervix, and I realized this was it, at last!
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What was the most challenging thing about going natural?
The first stage of labor (dilation, etc...) felt entirely doable this time around. Pushing was incredibly challenging, though! My contractions were centering in my upper thighs, and my pubic bone was so painful (I’d had problems with it throughout the second half of the pregnancy), and it felt so impossible to push. Thankfully, I had a wonderful birth team that walked me through it!
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What was the most helpful thing you did to prepare for childbirth?
The most helpful thing for me was to ‘plan’ on having a shorter labor this time around. My first labor was an exhausting 3-day ordeal (was still able to have a natural water birth), and I didn’t want to go through that again, so I planned the entire pregnancy to have a shorter labor. It ended up being about 8 hours of active labor!!! It felt like it went very quickly.
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What surprised you about your birth?
I was so surprised that the dilation phase of labor went so quickly and smoothly. I thought I must be at about 5cm, and discovered I was fully dilated and ready to push!
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Have a birth team you trust, and who believes in you and your ability to birth your baby! No matter how your birth goes, that will support you best! Educate yourself!
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What pain relief strategies worked best?
Breathing throughout contractions, and having my husband and sister do counterpressure on my back worked great for me! When it came to pushing, nothing helped. I just had to make up my mind to do it no matter how it felt.
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What position did you end up delivering in?
Because of my issues with my pubic bone, I didn’t want to push into it. So I ended up semi-reclining on my husband in the birth tub, and got to catch baby with my husband!
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How did it feel to hold your baby for the first time?
Absolute relief! We’d waited to find out the gender, and were delighted with our second baby boy! As soon as he was on my chest, all I could do was hug him, kiss him, and tell him how much I love him! Such magical joy!
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What advice can you give to other mamas who want to go natural?
Have a birth team you trust, and who believes in you and your ability to birth your baby! No matter how your birth goes, that will support you best! Educate yourself!
