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When did you realize you were really in labor?
I woke up in the morning with contractions but they were still 15 min apart. At 3 PM we went to my midwife appointment, she checked me, told me I was 3-4 cm and did a stretch and sweep... at that point I knew things were progressing.
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What was the most challenging thing about going natural?
Ivy being my fourth baby, it was a lot easier to stay calm and let my body do the work. The most challenging thing this time was not knowing where I was at, the midwives came at 6:30 PM and told me I was 5 cm, I got into the pool and they just let me do my thing, no more checks and they didn't tell me when to push, this made it challenging to mentally prepare myself for how long labor would take, I listened to my body and she was here at 7:55 PM.
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What was the most helpful thing you did to prepare for childbirth?
Meditation, deep breathing and reminding myself that my body and baby know what to do, for me being able to stay calm and relaxed during birth makes the process so much smoother.
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What surprised you about your birth?
That she was a girl! Also how quickly the time went, I couldn't see a clock and thought I had been in the pool for hours, really it was about an hour and 15 min!
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Trust your body! You can do this, stay calm, relax through contractions and visualize your cervix dilating and your baby moving down. You are amazing and fierce... you've got this mama!
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What pain relief strategies worked best?
Controlled breathing through contractions. Also when I was pushing our doula was putting a cool cloth on my forehead and shoulders, this was heavenly!
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What position did you end up delivering in?
Seated with my back resting against the wall of the birth pool.
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How did it feel to hold your baby for the first time?
Amazing. Ivy is a rainbow baby, born after a loss at 9 weeks, and a loss at 18 weeks due to a cord accident. Seeing her for the first time was amazing, I was no longer afraid of what could happen and I knew through all the heartache and disappointment before her, the path that brought me to her was the one I was meant to be on.
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What advice can you give to other mamas who want to go natural?
Trust your body! You can do this, stay calm, relax through contractions and visualize your cervix dilating and your baby moving down. You are amazing and fierce... you've got this mama!
