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When did you realize you were really in labor?
My water broke at 8:15 in the morning as I was literally about to head out to door for work. By the time we got to the hospital (that is nearly an hour away), got checked in, and the midwife was available to check me at 1 in the afternoon I was only dilated to a "big 2 or small 3." I had not had any contractions at this point so I was not surprised. The midwife knew that a C-Section was the absolute last thing on my list of wants for this child birth so she offered Pitocin to help my body get labor started and avoid having to start antibiotics as it is hospital policy to start antibiotics 18 hours after water has broken and mine had already been broken for 5 hours with minimal progress (I had been a small 2 at my last appointment 6 days prior). She started me at 1 unit an hour a 3 pm, with no contractions she bumped me up to 3 units/hr at 3:30 pm, with very light contractions or as I explained it having only light period cramps by 4 I was bumped up to 5 units/hr. Then the contractions started! GAME ON! We were ready to meet our beautiful baby boy! I sat on the birthing ball for about 30 minutes as the cramping got heavier and more intense, and listened to our playlist of course. I then felt like I needed to be on my side so I hopped in bed while my husband massaged my back with lavender oil. At this point I was measuring a 5. We stayed there for about 45 minutes and then I needed to push. The nurse said I was not quite there. I told her that I needed to get on my other side and she told me if I did that, it would probably be go time. She called in our midwife, I got my knee up on the delivery bar and by 5:30 our beautiful little guy was here!
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What was the most challenging thing about going natural?
For me, I had such a strong desire to go with no medical interventions. I was discouraged when the midwife offered pitocin but I knew she wouldn't have suggested it to me if she was not sure it was the best route for me. I have nothing to compare my contractions to as he is our first child but I know I did doubt our decision 3 times while pushing. For my husband, he tells everyone the hardest part was knowing he could not take away my intense discomfort, and if the nurse would have asked him if I needed anything for the pain he would have said to give me everything they could had we not decided on minimal interventions.
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firstfamilyphoto
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What was the most helpful thing you did to prepare for childbirth?
I would have to say the most helpful thing I did to prepare me for childbirth was pelvic floor therapy. I was having accidents, to the point I needed to change clothes, around 16 weeks. I started therapy and found out I could not relax my pelvic floor. After graduating from therapy, my therapist told me that because I was so contracted if I had not learned how to relax my pelvic floor i may have had either a really long labor with more interventions than I wanted or ended up with a C-section. I truly believe the therapy helped me to keep my pelvic floor relaxed as the contractions got stronger
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What surprised you about your birth?
What surprised me about our birth was that the whole thing was like an 8 hour work day. I know some women are in the hospital for what seems like forever, doing everything they can to get baby out. Only having pitocin for 3.5 hours and actually having active labor for a portion of that time surprised me, especially when I was only a small 3 that afternoon
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I told myself "you've got this" "you can do it" "you don't have to have that contraction again" "we are one less contraction away from meeting our guy" And of course, shaking the heck out of the bed rail seemed to help me get through the pain as well.
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What pain relief strategies worked best?
At first, i felt very comfortable on the birthing ball. As the contractions got more intense, I found that i needed to stand up with my head resting on the bed while each contraction came and went. I even had to go on my tippy toes. Towards the end the best thing I could do was breath through my contractions and talk to myself out loud. My husband was trying to encourage me but I could not really hear him. I told myself "you've got this" "you can do it" "you don't have to have that contraction again" "we are one less contraction away from meeting our guy" And of course, shaking the heck out of the bed rail seemed to help me get through the pain as well.
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What position did you end up delivering in?
I ended up delivering on my right side with my knee on the squat bar
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How did it feel to hold your baby for the first time?
Holding our son for the time was one of the most peaceful feelings I have ever experienced. Especially after the intensity my body was going through just seconds before
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What advice can you give to other mamas who want to go natural?
1. Ask for a pelvic floor therapist, the worse that would happen is the therapist will say 'Girl that pelvic floor is ready to deliver a baby'...maybe not quite like that :)
2. Look at laboring positions, but most importantly listen to your body. I knew I had to switch to the other side and that was all I needed to do in order for my body to let our guy make his way out.
3. BE OPEN MINDED! was I discouraged when the midwife offered Pitocin? of course I was, that was not part of the plan. But had I not been opened minded I may have ended up with a C-Section.
