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When did you realize you were really in labor?
I realized I was actually in labor about an hour after our midwife swept my membranes at our weekly appointment. I was 39.5 weeks with our second and was sitting at about 4-5 cm and 70% effaced with only random contractions. I wasn't in a rush but prodromal labor was starting to take its toll. The midwife offered to gently sweep my membranes to see if it would push me over the edge. I was crampy at first but within an hour of leaving the birth center, my husband and I headed back with strong contractions every 4-5 minutes apart. I was then 6 cm and 90% effaced with consistent contractions and officially in labor!
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What was the most challenging thing about going natural?
The most challenging part about this labor (as this was our second) was once I got into the birth center the intensity of the contractions calmed down considerably. They were getting closer together, I was progressing, and baby was moving down but there was a little voice in the back of my head that kept asking why I wasn't feeling more. My mind skipped the many natural remedies they would have tried first and went straight to being transferred to the hospital for Pitocin. I was clearly in labor land as I wasn't thinking clearly! The midwives and nurses did an incredible job of reminding me that this was normal and some women's labors are just like this. As long as I was progressing and baby was doing well, there was no need for intervention.
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What was the most helpful thing you did to prepare for childbirth?
We had already taken the 12 week Bradley course with our first and took another one day intensive course offered by our doula who was present for this birth. I also read Ina May's Guide to Childbirth which was extremely helpful!
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What surprised you about your birth?
The biggest surprise was, of course, that our little sweet pea was a girl! We decided not to find out this time around and it drove our friends and family nuts! Also how incredibly similar my labor and delivery was to her older sister's birth just three and a half years before. To the time I was checked for dilation at my appointment, to how the labor progressed and their birth times that were less than an hour apart, it was almost exactly the same!
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Ina May does an incredible job of explaining that the cervix is a sphincter and we must work with it and not against it to allow it to open.
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What pain relief strategies worked best?
I was pretty comfortable sitting on the birth ball with someone rubbing my back or just lying down with the peanut ball until transition, when hip squeezes became my best friend!
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What position did you end up delivering in?
I ended up delivering in an upright seated position in the tub. I delivered my first the same way and it felt most natural to me.
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How did it feel to hold your baby for the first time?
Incredible! I felt so blessed to have another perfect little girl!
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What advice can you give to other mamas who want to go natural?
My advice would be to do your research and prepare. Take classes and hire a doula if you can. Things might not go exactly as planned but you will be ready! Also to know what you would like to happen in your birth but to not get defensive about it. Ina May does an incredible job of explaining that the cervix is a sphincter and we must work with it and not against it to allow it to open. Surrounding yourself with friends and family who are supportive of your decision doesn't hurt either!
