Mama Natural Birth Course And Mama Natural Book Helped Kelsey Achieve Her Natural Hospital Birth

When did you realize you were really in labor?

I had tried castor oil (an entire bottle) over the weekend which triggered some contraction which ended up going away after a couple hours. On Tuesday I had cervidil put in which brought on contractions but it took a couple hours for me to believe it was real labor. I kept thinking they were going to stop like the castor oil contractions did. I think I knew it was real labor when the contractions were strong enough that I couldn’t sit down anymore.

What was the most challenging thing about going natural?

I didn’t find it very challenging during labor actually. My husband was extremely supportive and I had two fantastic midwives that fully supported my wishes in labor.
I think the biggest struggle was telling people while I was pregnant that I was planning for a natural birth. I got a lot of “oh you think you can do it now but just wait” or “just give it some time, you’ll want that epidural”. Eventually, I stopped telling people my plans for a natural birth because their negativity and doubt was getting to be really discouraging. I was really shocked by that, I didn’t realize how much opposition and fear there is surrounding an all natural birth.

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

Definitely the mama natural birth course and the mama natural book! This helped me mentally prepare and know what to expect. I also saw a pelvic floor physiotherapist which helped me physically prepare. Between the two I felt mentally and physically prepared.

What surprised you about your birth?

How you lose all concept of time and your body and instincts take over. I was so surprised when my husband told me I had played for two hours! I thought it was maybe 20 minutes max. The intense urge to push and make the deep throat noises was also next to uncontrollable. I thought that the yelling (and did I ever yell) would be kind of a voluntary thing but in the moment I couldn’t control the noises coming out of my mouth.

I would consider it to be one of the most important things we did to prepare for a natural childbirth. It helped my husband immensely which in turn helped me.

What pain relief strategies worked best?

Standing in the shower with the hot water on my back was amazing. And my husband was always right by my side saying encouraging things in my ear and reminding me to breathe.

What position did you end up delivering in?

I was on my back with my feet high up on one of those bed bars. One hand grabbing a handle on the side of the bed and my husbands hand in the other to pull myself up in a kind of curled position.

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

It’s going to sound bad but I was so overstimulated at that point that my brain was almost too overwhelmed to process it and I really didn’t feel very much. They put her on my chest and I remember thinking “oh my gosh she’s finally here. Holy crap she’s finally here” but my head and heart didn’t catch up till a couple hours later.

How did the Mama Natural Birth Class help you in your childbirth?

I would consider it to be one of the most important things we did to prepare for a natural childbirth. It helped my husband immensely which in turn helped me. The course brings up lots of things you wouldn’t think to research or to talk about so I learned things that I didn’t even know I needed to know.