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When did you realize you were really in labor?
Sunday night I picked out my clothes for work the next morning, set my alarm, and fell asleep only to dream I was in labor. The dream was so real I woke up and kept feeling the pain. It took me several minutes and another few contractions before I realized I wasn't dreaming. These were the real thing!
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What was the most challenging thing about going natural?
At first I lost focus, forgot everything I had learned about the Bradley Method, and began to panic when I started experiencing intense contractions almost right away. I must have been on repeat telling my husband, "I don't think I can do this." He kept telling me I could and to focus on relaxing. A few days earlier we had made a pinky promise that he wouldn't let me get an epidural, and for us a pinky promise is unbreakable. I was cursing the pinky promise around 7 am.
It was also hard when all the nurses and doctors didn't seem to think it was possible to go natural. They made me self doubt a bit, but by the end they were all believers.
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Cordie-is-born
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What was the most helpful thing you did to prepare for childbirth?
The most helpful thing was to read about what was involved in labor. I read Husband-coached Childbirth, and it really removed some of the element of fear that goes with labor. I knew what stages there were, the various types of laborers, and about all the possible interventions and their side effects should they arise.
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What surprised you about your birth?
I was surprised with how fast it went. 9 hours start to finish. My mom had labored for almost 48 hours before having me, so I assumed I'd have something similar. Just goes to show you that each person and birth is different.
I was also shocked by the intensity of the pushing contractions. I read about transition and such, but the sheer urge to push (and being told not to since I wasn't fully dialated) is still very vivid in my mind 2.5 years later.
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Knowledge is power. Don't go into labor just hoping you can go natural because even with information it was still a shock to me. I didn't realize how important that talking and encouragement would be, but both were entirely necessary.
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What pain relief strategies worked best?
One of the things I was most excited about at my hospital was all the options they had to help with pain management in labor that were drug free. I had done a bit of research during my pregnancy and, even though I'm a total wimp when it comes to pain, had hoped I could make it through labor and delivery drug free using the Bradley Method. Most people told me I was crazy and assured me that once the contractions started I'd be begging for the epidural. They were almost right. I couldn't get out of the hospital bed let alone use a labor ball or hydrotherapy while having contractions.
Total concentration on getting through each contraction was my main pain relief strategy. That and the AMAZING support of my husband. He held my hand and talked me through the whole thing. He watched the monitors, told me what was happening around me, and constantly encouraged me. He was amazing, and I could not have done it without him. I didn't realize how important that talking and encouragement would be, but both were entirely necessary.
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What position did you end up delivering in?
I was sitting slightly upright in the hospital bed to deliver.
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How did it feel to hold your baby for the first time?
At 11:08 am, after 16 minutes of pushing, I heard my husband say, "There she is!" My baby was lifted straight to my arms where I held her while she cried for the first time and I finally cried as well. It was overwhelming the surge of emotions. My husband got to cut the cord and then he joined us, crying as well.
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What advice can you give to other mamas who want to go natural?
Knowledge is power. Don't go into labor just hoping you can go natural because even with information it was still a shock to me. Have tools to use to help you achieve a natural birth like the Bradley Method or Hypnobirthing. Have someone there to support you. If that's not your husband, then find someone else who will. And know you will get an amazing little person to love at the end!
