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When did you realize you were really in labor?
When my contractions were two minutes apart. I expected contractions to feel different, so the contraction pain I felt throughout the day I just wrote off for being pre labor pains.
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What was the most challenging thing about going natural?
I struggled with finding a position that worked for me while having contractions. I felt the need to push very early on, so I spent most of the time trying to figure out how not to push, rather than how to breath through a contraction like I had expected, and no position that I had practiced helped me do that.
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What was the most helpful thing you did to prepare for childbirth?
Educate myself...even though I had never questioned that I would have a natural birth, when it came time to actually have the baby, the knowledge I had about what could potentially go wrong with the use of pain medication was what ultimately kept me from having an epidural.
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What surprised you about your birth?
I was so surprised by what my contractions actually felt like, all lower pain rather than my whole belly contracting like I thought it would.
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Our bodies were meant to have babies, our bodies know exactly what to do and if you focus on that instead of fear, you can have an amazing and empowering natural birth!
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What pain relief strategies worked best?
Breathing! Because of the fact that my body was trying to push before it was time, one of the nurses taught me a breathing technique to focus on and help stop my body from pushing. It helped so much and helped me focus on that rather than the pain.
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What position did you end up delivering in?
To my surprise, I ended up delivering on my back while pulling my legs and head toward each other.
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How did it feel to hold your baby for the first time?
It not only was the biggest feeling of relief to have him out, it was also the most overwhelming feeling of love I had ever felt. I remember feeling so overjoyed to finally meet the baby I had been carrying inside!
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What advice can you give to other mamas who want to go natural?
Regardless of what so many people will tell you, it is so possible to have a baby naturally! Our bodies were meant to have babies, our bodies know exactly what to do and if you focus on that instead of fear, you can have an amazing and empowering natural birth!
