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When did you realize you were really in labor?
Being 12 days overdue, I agreed to have my water broken after my doctor felt like my baby boy was not doing as well as he had been and my migraines were worsening.
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What was the most challenging thing about going natural?
The pushing! Baby boy was in a hurry, and he came in about 4 pushes. But they were NOT comfortable!
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What was the most helpful thing you did to prepare for childbirth?
Hypnobirth training through an app called GentleBirth, reading the Gentle Birth book by Tracy Donegan, and learning about a breathing device and TENS machine to use during contractions. I wish I had these tools for all 4 of my labors!
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What surprised you about your birth?
How incredibly fast it was! I assumed being an induction, it would take a while for my body to respond, even having “favorable” conditions. I could have had just a touch of Pitocin OR they could break my water. (My first was a c-section, so this was my 3rd VBAC, but I still can’t be fully induced.). I opted to have my water broken as it seemed to me to be the most natural choice. They broke my water at 5:45 pm, I had my first contraction at 6:30 pm, and Teddy was born at 8:47 pm only about 2 hours later! My doctor came in at one point and said if they *had* given me Pitocin, they would have stopped it already because they wouldn’t have wanted me to have such crazy fast and intense contractions! But that was just my body naturally contracting! Baby must have been in a hurry at that point!
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What pain relief strategies worked best?
I listened to the GentleBirth app to stay positive and calm before and throughout labor. Tracy’s voice is super calming and reassuring!
I also used a device called a Winner Flow that looks like a little whistle. It controls your out-breath and slows it down. The out-breath triggers your body to create more oxytocin and endorphins, so making that longer than the in-breath helps progress your labor and helps your body create its own natural pain relief!
The BEST thing I used was a TENS machine. I bought one specific for labor and could “boost it” whenever a contraction came on. It was better than any pain medication and worked SO well, my husband wasn’t too surprised as I had used it for hormone migraines throughout pregnancy, but the nurses and doctors were literally staring at me in awe that I was just standing next to the bed swaying through transition!!! I would recommend one to ANYONE that will listen! 😆
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How did it feel to hold your baby for the first time?
Amazing. My first little boy, well cooked ☺️ I had been waiting a long time to hold him, I couldn’t get enough of him!
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What did you name your baby, and why?
He is named Theodore(Teddy) John. We love old names, and we love traveling and visiting national parks. Many of them starts with Theodore Roosevelt. So the name just seemed perfect! John is after my husband’s grandfather.
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What advice can you give to other mamas who want to go natural?
It’s the best labor, so empowering, and the best and easiest recovery! I feel like I’ve had labor in almost all the ways possible. The first was a c-section, the second was a VBAC with an epidural, third was an unmedicated natural VBAC, and the fourth was an unmedicated induction hypnobirthing! Best were the last two natural births by a long shot. Oh and also, GET. THE. TENS. MACHINE! 😆
