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When did you realize you were really in labor?
I woke up around 2am for my regular run to the bathroom and realized I had mild cramping. I didn't think anything of it, since I had been having cramping and contractions on and off for weeks, so I tried to ignore them and go back to sleep. When I realized that instead of going away the contractions were getting stronger, I called my midwife and my doula. I thought we had plenty of time, so around 5am my husband went to take a shower and I was taking my time packing last minute things and getting myself dressed. I made some eggs for breakfast and all of a sudden it got more intense. I scarfed down the eggs and we left for the hospital close to 6am.
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What was the most challenging thing about going natural?
For me the most challenging part of birth is feeling the baby coming down and the pushing. To me it just feels so intense. I had to keep telling myself that its almost over and that the baby will be here very soon. And I was right. Though intense, the pushing part was over very fast. And the beauty about going natural is, as soon as its over, its really over. All the pain is gone and is replaced by the joy of meeting your baby. And you don't have to deal with annoying after-effects of epidural medication. After the birth, I got up and walked myself to the bathroom and then put on my regular clothes and felt totally normal again.
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What was the most helpful thing you did to prepare for childbirth?
The most helpful thing for me was preparation, both physical and mental. Physically, I exercised, ate well, went to the chiropractor religiously, walked, and prepared my body. Mentally, I read positive birth stories (Ina May Gaskin is awesome) and listened to birth meditation tracks. For this birth, I followed the hypnobabies program. However, when the birth time came, everything went so quickly that I did not even have time to use the hypnobabies techniques that I learned.
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What surprised you about your birth?
The most surprising thing about this birth was how fast it went. From the time I felt the first mild cramping around 2am until the baby was in my arms at 7:59am, took only about six hours. And most of that time was not difficult. The difficult part was under an hour long. You can do anything for an hour!
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Your body was made to do this. If you take the time to prepare your mind and body, you can totally have a beautiful and natural birth. Do not listen to those who say you can't, they are probably just jealous because they wish they had natural births too.
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What pain relief strategies worked best?
Deep and slow breathing through contractions, having my doula apply pressure on my lower back, focusing on one contraction at a time and not thinking about the future contractions.
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What position did you end up delivering in?
Side lying position.
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How did it feel to hold your baby for the first time?
It was pure joy and relief.
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What advice can you give to other mamas who want to go natural?
Your body was made to do this. If you take the time to prepare your mind and body, you can totally have a beautiful and natural birth. Do not listen to those who say you can't, they are probably just jealous because they wish they had natural births too.
