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When did you realize you were really in labor?
I realized I was really in labor when I looked at my belly and noticed that they baby was incredibly low. I had been contracting off and on for days, but it always faded within a few hours. I spent that morning at the park with my 2.5 year-old son playing and hiking in the foothills! I laid down with him to take an afternoon nap and quietly woke to contractions that were about three minutes apart and noticeably more intense than before. Our baby girl was born three hours later!
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What was the most challenging thing about going natural?
The most challenging thing about going natural was dismissing negative comments from friends who delivered at a birth center or at home. They questioned the possibility of me having (another) natural hospital birth. Some friends would reiterate tales they have heard from others; horror stories of interventions gone wrong all because they were at a hospital.
I would remind myself that I had to make choices that were right for me and my family, not for anyone else. I had to trust in my own instincts and my choice to have an OB and deliver at a hospital. I knew that with the right attitude and knowledge, I would succeed.
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JJDay2
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What was the most helpful thing you did to prepare for childbirth?
I could write a lot of beautiful, inspiring, natural-mama type stuff here because I did all that yoga, red raspberry leaf tea, visualization stuff. BUT, to tell you the truth, the best thing I did was watch every single episode of the British show "One Born Every Minute." It showed birth in a different country, but with real modern women. I loved how most of them went natural but in a hospital setting and the midwives were SO hands off!
From watching it I completely changed my approach to the pushing phase. I saw how they did it on the show by just letting their bodies take over. Instead of "purple pushing" like with my son, I was able to "breathe down" my baby. It was all because I saw regular people doing it! Natural birth videos are great, but they tend to show your not-so-typical woman. "One Born Every Minute" was so easy to relate to. You gotta watch it!!
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What surprised you about your birth?
I was blown away with how fast my labor went! I was a "precipitous birth" from the minute I got to the hospital. With my older son, I was in labor for days. This labor lasted all of three hours and we were only in the hospital for 20 minutes before my daughter was born.
Because the birth went so fast, I was so much more "present" for the entire experience. Although my son was a natural birth, it was so long that I was zonked by the time he arrived. This time around, I was laughing hysterically minutes after she was born. My husband and I couldn't believe it. We were wheeled in so fast, the nurses didn't even know my last name!
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Instead of "purple pushing" like with my son, I was able to "breathe down" my baby. It was all because I saw regular people doing it!
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What pain relief strategies worked best?
At home, I got on my knees and rested my head on my yoga ball. For the rest of the labor, I swayed my hips, breathed deeply, and just tried to get through one contraction at a time.
If I can get in the right head space, I can work through pain. For that to happen, I didn't want anyone to talk to me or bother me. My husband was in charge of telling everyone to leave me alone, and direct all questions to him. It worked awesome!
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What position did you end up delivering in?
I was on my knees with my hands up on the upright back of the bed. I turned slightly on to my side for the last push to deliver. I will never deliver on my back again!!
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How did it feel to hold your baby for the first time?
I felt like I was meeting someone that I already knew. She had survived a tough pregnancy (I had Hyperemesis Gravidarum and developed a life-threatening allergy) and I was filled with relief to meet her.
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What advice can you give to other mamas who want to go natural?
My advice is that you should pick the birth plan and setting that make the most sense for you and you only! Natural birth is absolutely possible in a hospital. Don't fall prey to all the negative stories about hospitals. If you get educated and find the right team you will have the same chances of birthing naturally as any other setting.
