Keeping In Movement Helped Dalia Relieve Pain During Her Natural Hospital Birth

When did you realize you were really in labor?

The night before my high school friends threw me the cutest baby shower. They took turns touching my belly and feeling the baby move. Before and during the shower, I did start to feel some contractions that I believed were Braxton Hicks contractions, since they were mainly in the front part of my belly and they were very mild. In the morning, as soon as I opened my eyes, I started to feel contractions again, but this time, I felt them more towards my lower back and the lower front part of my belly. That is when I realized my labor was starting. From talking to many women, in particular my mother in law, she described feeling labor contractions on her lower back, so I was sure that my labor was starting.

What was the most challenging thing about going natural?

Since this was my first child, I did worry about the level of pain that I would experience. It was something unknown to me and the fear is what I felt could hold many women back from going natural. What gave me strength was knowing that my mother gave birth naturally four times and my mother in law gave birth naturally for her three children. Taking in their advice, listening to their stories, and watching many videos gave me the confidence I needed to choose a natural birth. So I guess the most challenging thing was accepting my decision and not letting fear get in the way.

What was the most helpful thing you did to prepare for childbirth?

The most helpful thing for me to prepare myself was to stay informed. As soon as I knew that I wanted a natural birth, I went into research mode. That is how I found Mama Natural on YouTube and I was so happy that her and I were going through a pregnancy together. She was a little bit further ahead of me, which made me even more happy because I could see what I could look forward to. I loved following her advice and I did everything to keep myself healthy and happy. The next second helpful thing I did want to mention is working out during pregnancy. Exercise gave me a lot of energy and in my opinion, helped me in having an easy birth.

What surprised you about your birth?

I love to tell my birth story because I feel like it happened so fast and there are also some funny moments that happened throughout the day. All in all, the whole day was not what I expected and I was very surprised in how it ended up. I woke up at 9 am realizing that my labor had started. I quickly let my fiancee know and my family. Throughout the day, I made sure to rest, eat, and walk a lot. I actually had a doctor's appointment that day for a checkup and she let me know I was already 3 cm dilated. It was around 5 pm when I felt like the contractions were getting stronger and a bit more painful. I felt it was time to go to the hospital to have myself checked in. My fiancee, who at the time had midterms to take, was not with me and so he put his younger brother in charge to take me to the hospital. My mother in law came with us as well. The funniest thing about having my fiancee's brother take me to the hospital was that he had just gotten an appendectomy about 4-5 days before, so he had fresh stitches. Him and I still remember how we were both walking in pain that day. As soon as I got to the emergency room, a nurse put me in a wheelchair and was speed walking to the birthing floor. The male nurse was in such a rush, turning and going every which way, that my brother in law was having trouble catching up to us. The male nurse even said, " Ma'am, can you please tell your husband to hurry up?" I did not even bother to explain that he was not my husband and explained to the nurse that he had recent surgery. The only thing my mother in law and I could do at that moment was laugh. When we got up to the birthing unit, the nurses were very calm and I was surprised because I thought that they would react in a panic like the male nurse did. According to my mom in law, she thinks they were like that because it seemed like I was not in any pain, but I was definitely feeling the pain when I had contractions. It seemed like a long, long time when I had to wait for the triage room to be ready. Apparently, a lot of women came in that evening. When the triage room was ready, I wanted someone to hurry up and check me. I was definitely feeling the pain and since I had the monitor on, I had to stay sitting down, which was very difficult for me. I felt the pain more intensely if I was still. This, by the way, was not a part of my birth plan, which I was very upset about, but I felt like I could not do much to change that at the moment. My plan was to work through my pain, instead of just sitting down. That did not go to plan, but I was very happy when my fiancee came into the room. We were getting worried he would not make it in time to see his daughter being born, since by luck, that day he had to attend his classes for midterms. When he got there, he made sure to let the nurses know that I needed to be checked ASAP. When the nurse came in, she was very surprised that I was already 8 cm dilated. This confirmed to my mother in law that the nurses thought that I came in too early since I did not show how much pain I was in. About 10-15 minutes later, they took me into the delivery room. They asked me to use the bathroom before getting on the bed. As I sat down on the toilet, I felt my own body push the baby down. I immediately got up and yelled out, "I think I need to push!" I laid down on the bed and made sure that I was not completely flat. I was very adamant about that because I wanted to try different positions for pushing. They checked me again and I was ready to push. I was surprised at how many people were actually there to help me. It was like a team of 6 people. My doctor was on her way, but she was not there on time to help me give birth to the baby. As I pushed, some nurses came in to bring things in to help the nurses that were already there. This one nurse even asked how many times I had given birth already. My fiancee explained that this was my first. The nurse was so surprised at how calm I was in between pushes, so she assumed that this was not my first. In total, I believe I was pushing for about 10-15 minutes. My daughter Victoria came to this world at about 9 pm. I was definitely surprised at how fast she was born because I was expecting something a bit more difficult, especially because this was my first child. But I was very happy that it was an easy birth and I thank God for that beautiful experience. Her birth was exactly how I wanted it to be and what I had prayed over the nine months I was carrying her.

Choosing to give birth naturally does take a lot of research and preparation. Some women think that being pregnant can mean more resting time and eating whatever your body craves, which can be true to some extent, but the reality of it is that being pregnant is the time you need to take care of yourself the most.

What pain relief strategies worked best?

When I was at home, I made sure to take a warm shower. The warmth of the water helped relieve some of the pain and it helped me to relax. I also used some of the essential oils that Mama Natural had recommended to help with the ease of the birth. I felt that those made a big difference with pain relief. I also made sure to walk a lot especially during contractions. Keeping in movement is what helped to relieve pain. When I got to the hospital, I wish that they could have followed my birth plan a little better when they were monitoring me because I was really hoping to be able to move about during that time. When I was sitting down, I practiced breathing techniques that did help, but only to a certain extent. If I could do that over, I would make the choice to get up and move to help with the pain.

What position did you end up delivering in?

I definitely knew that I wanted to try different positions for the delivery, but I ended up delivering laying down on a hospital bed. Even though I was on the bed, I was very adamant about not being completely flat on the bed. The hospital bed was able to be moved so that I could be at an angle and I made sure that I was in the position that I was most comfortable in.

How did it feel to hold your baby for the first time?

It is the most incredible experience ever. I know before having her, I heard that millions of times, and now I can understand why. It is something that is so hard to put into words and hard to truly describe to someone who hasn't had that experience. It is so surreal to hold your baby in your arms. It sounds so funny to say, but I was just so amazed seeing her come out into this world. I remember just observing her little body and face and thinking how amazing that my body was able to create her and keep her safe. I could not believe this little person was inside of me and that we were one for nine months.

What advice can you give to other mamas who want to go natural?

The number one advice I could give is preparation. Choosing to give birth naturally does take a lot of research and preparation. Some women think that being pregnant can mean more resting time and eating whatever your body craves, which can be true to some extent, but the reality of it is that being pregnant is the time you need to take care of yourself the most. Exercising regularly, eating the right foods and the right portions, and having good sleeping hours should be a main priority. If you do this, your childbirth can be an easy experience. I think it is also important to keep in mind that complications can happen, as Mama Natural says, but if you prepare yourself, it can help you to accept what may come.