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When did you realize you were really in labor?
About 2 hrs after I first felt contractions (they were very mild; thought maybe I was finally having Braxton Hicks!) and little less than 3 hrs before I had my son in my arms. With my daughter I knew immediately, so had expected it to be like that this time around, too!
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What was the most challenging thing about going natural?
Not sure. Both births were drug free, so it's all I know.
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What was the most helpful thing you did to prepare for childbirth?
Keeping the mindset that the discomfort of labor was normal and meant my body was doing what it was supposed to.
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What surprised you about your birth?
How fast it was this time!
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Have faith in yourself! The pain never got worse for me, the contractions just got closer together which made things more intense. I feel like a lot of times fear of pain during childbirth becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.
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What pain relief strategies worked best?
Both times I squatted and/or swayed my hips through contractions, whether standing or in the tub. Not sure how much it did to ease my discomfort, but the movement really helped me to keep my body relaxed so I wasn't tensing up and working against myself in terms of getting baby down and out.
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What position did you end up delivering in?
In the tub, so kind of on my back?
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How did it feel to hold your baby for the first time?
Amazing! And even though I'd had plenty of time to prepare myself, I was still in disbelief that I suddenly had two!
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What advice can you give to other mamas who want to go natural?
Have faith in yourself! The pain never got worse for me, the contractions just got closer together which made things more intense. I feel like a lot of times fear of pain during childbirth becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.
