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When did you realize you were really in labor?
At around 4:30 on the day after my due date, I called my husband and asked him to begin his long commute home from work because I suspected I was nearing active labor. Around 7 PM, as my mom who was staying with us put our two young sons to bed, I knew that I was in active labor because I had to pause as I paced the house as my contractions grew stronger and stronger. .
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What was the most challenging thing about going natural?
Having already had a very positive and uneventful home birth only 19 months earlier, I knew what to expect from a natural birth. I knew how to tolerate the pain that comes with each contraction because each contraction ends! Labor eventually ends and, thankfully, the delivery process, for me, is very fast. This does not mean I smile and laugh through the birthing process, but knowing that there is an end and that the pain is purposeful helps me!
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What was the most helpful thing you did to prepare for childbirth?
For this, my third birth, the most helpful thing that I "did" was having two prior births ;). Our first was not a natural home birth, which led us to seek out an alternative to the hospital. Our second was a natural home birth and our third... was a bit of both.
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What surprised you about your birth?
As prepared as I thought I was, everything surprised me about this birth. Having had such a peaceful birth only 19 months before this one, I truly thought that this one, our sweet daughter's, would be the same. Unfortunately for us, this was not the case. The birth pool we ordered was not correct, which forced me into our small garden tub that was incredibly uncomfortable. Our baby's heart rate continued to slow each time our midwife monitored it during a contraction, forcing us very last minute to transfer to a local hospital. I barely made it into the entrance of the ER before my water broke and I delivered our precious baby in the hallway of the ER in the wheelchair. It was traumatic. It was amazing. I do not wish my story on any mom, but I am so thankful for God's protection of our daughter's life before she took her first breath,
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If you have a strong tolerance for pain and want a much, much faster recovery, consider it! Read blogs, books, talk to other women who have done it and then make a plan!
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What pain relief strategies worked best?
Knowing that each contraction will end! I am not someone who shouts or screams or paces or tears off clothes during birth. I am completely silent and almost embrace each contraction as I know that it is one moment closer to meeting our baby.
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What position did you end up delivering in?
Half-sitting in a wheelchair.
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How did it feel to hold your baby for the first time?
Because of the traumatic way in which she was born, I now understand a mama bear's protective nature. I clung to her with all of my strength and dared anyone to touch her or take her from me.
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What advice can you give to other mamas who want to go natural?
If you have a strong tolerance for pain and want a much, much faster recovery, consider it! Read blogs, books, talk to other women who have done it and then make a plan! You may end up asking for pain relief if you deliver at a hospital, but if you don't make a plan, you won't want to try once labor starts. I was up and walking in the recovery room within one hour of delivering our third baby.
