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When did you realize you were really in labor?
I had been losing my mucus plug, dilated, soft and thin for weeks. Baby was super comfy as my discomfort seemed to increase by the minute. I had horrible SPD/PGP along with a list of other uncomfortable ailments. My baby's guess date had come and gone and I was so ready to meet him/her. At 40 weeks 6 days I was awaken to a contraction at 2:24am so I went to the bathroom. There it was... FINALLY! I had bloody show.
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What was the most challenging thing about going natural?
Not knowing when I was going to start laboring.
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What was the most helpful thing you did to prepare for childbirth?
Mentally prepare. Labor can stall or progress because of our mental state. The more you read the more confidence you gain and the less fear you have. Can't stress it enough read, read, read especially stories that have a similar out come of what you would like yours to look like (I.e. home birth, water birth..Etc)
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What surprised you about your birth?
That I never felt her descend into my pelvis or my water break.
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Mentally prepare, if you are thinking you want to "try" to go natural chances are you will give in to medication when it starts getting intense. If you understand how much of a mental aspect labor is that will help you a ton!
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What pain relief strategies worked best?
I loved my exercise ball! When I was on it I couldn't feel the contractions, also, my birthing pool (there is a reason it is called a midwife's epidural!).
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What position did you end up delivering in?
I was in my birth pool and had been squatting and swaying. I just told my husband that I thought were in it for the long haul as I hadn't felt baby descend or my water break yet. So he decided now would be a good time to go make a cup of coffee to wake himself up. He left, filled the coffee pot so it would start brewing and came back. When he came back I decided to just sit back and relax against the side of the pool for a bit just to change positions... Well shortly after I did this a birth wave hit and FER (fetal ejection reflex) kicked in which put me back up in the squatting position. I wasn't sure if it was really FER since I still hasn't felt her descend (with my other 8 births I felt the movement in the pelvis) so I reached down and sure enough there was her head! Immediately following was her shoulders! My husband's coffee hadn't even finished brewing yet!!! She was born at 4:38am, 2 hours and 14 minutes from the initial contraction that woke me up.
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How did it feel to hold your baby for the first time?
Great! I was so excited and relieved that I was no longer pregnant (My pregnancy was rough).
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What advice can you give to other mamas who want to go natural?
Mentally prepare, if you are thinking you want to "try" to go natural chances are you will give in to medication when it starts getting intense. If you understand how much of a mental aspect labor is that will help you a ton! Fear plays a HUGE roll in the amount of pain you feel. Same with tensing your body as apposed to riding the waves of the contractions. There is a relationship between the cervix and the mouth so try to remember if you are keeping your lips loose you are helping your cervix to relax. Above all remember you are almost done and going to meet your little one soon!!
