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When did you realize you were really in labor?
I had some mild cramping the night before so I called my midwife. She said it would either subside or I would go into labor that night. Sure enough l I woke up at 2:45 am and realized I was having contractions.
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What was the most challenging thing about going natural?
Two words - BACK LABOR! I was in back labor almost the entire time with this birth and the pain was excruciating. Not even the birth tub was helpful, which saved me with my first child. It was also a quick labor (about 4 hours of active) compared to my first baby (32 hours!!!) so everything was intensified. I felt like I was birthing a freight train going full speed.
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What was the most helpful thing you did to prepare for childbirth?
My midwife shared some hypno-birthing tracks with me that I listened to a lot on nights when I was having trouble sleeping during my pregnancy. These were super helpful when my contractions first started, especially since I was alone (my husband was sleeping with our toddler in his room). I was able to doze off between contractions. The tracks also helped during the milder contractions the next morning, but by the time the really strong ones came on, the only thing that helped was someone putting counter pressure on my sacrum and making all kinds of wild noises :)
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What surprised you about your birth?
I had worked myself up that the "ring of fire" would be the most challenging part of my daughter's birth. Turns out that only lasted about 3 seconds - moving her down the canal was BY FAR the hardest and most painful part!
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Incredible! It's the best feeling in the world. You've just done the hardest thing you'll ever do in your life and you get the most beautiful, amazing reward at the end.
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What pain relief strategies worked best?
During the final stage of labor, the only thing that helped me was pressure - the midwife's apprentice pressing on my sacrum, pressing my hand on my husband's shoulder, squeezing a stress ball with my other hand, pressing the top of my head into a firm cushion, and pressing both of my feet in the shoulders of my midwife and her assistant.
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What position did you end up delivering in?
On my back, which surprised me! But I tried a few other positions and none of them felt right.
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How did it feel to hold your baby for the first time?
Incredible! It's the best feeling in the world. You've just done the hardest thing you'll ever do in your life and you get the most beautiful, amazing reward at the end.
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What advice can you give to other mamas who want to go natural?
Have many tools at your disposal. It's so hard to know what you're going to want / need during your labor so have a variety of things at the ready - birth tub, yoga ball, tens machine, etc. And if you're giving birth at home (or a place that let's you eat and drink), have plenty of coconut water and snacks on hand so you can hydrate and get your energy up for the hard, hard work ahead.
