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When did you realize you were really in labor?
About two hours into contractions I was pretty sure this was it! They began at 8:30 pm, were inconsistent but getting stronger.
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What was the most challenging thing about going natural?
The pain leading up to transition. My transition was so rapid that it made the pain very intense and it was very difficult to relax through the contractions.
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What was the most helpful thing you did to prepare for childbirth?
Practice, practice, practice relaxing! I wish I had done more!!! You can't practice enough! I'm thankful for the practice I did get. My husband coached me and we practiced together, and having a coach was huge for me.
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What surprised you about your birth?
How much faster it was compared to my first. With my firstborn, we went to the hospital too early, and it was very difficult for me to relax there, and I began breathing the way the nurses told me...lamaz type. I had a 42 hour labor and could not dilate beyond a seven without an epidural, which we had to do because the baby's heart rate was dropping too low and not increasing after contractions. I'm thankful not to have had a c-section though. With #2, it was a short 7 hr labor. We labored at home, for about 5 1/2 hrs. My contractions did not come in regular time increments, so we weren't sure how quickly I was progressing, but they became very strong and intense. My water broke and I began having pushing contractions and we rushed to the hospital. They rushed me up to a room and when they checked, I was fully dilated and baby was 1cm into birth canal already! Baby boy #2 was born less than an hour after arriving at the hospital and delivered by our awesome midwife!
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Practice! Practice! PRACTICE relaxing!!!! And practice with a coach! You cannot practice too much! I wouldn't have been able to relax through most of my labor without the practicing we did throughout the pregnancy, and I believe the relaxing truly helped my labor to progress faster! ☺️ Having my husband coach me through the contractions helped me soooo much. His voice helped me focus on relaxing and what my body was doing instead of the pain.
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What pain relief strategies worked best?
Relaxing...wish I could have been able to more in the last stages. I need to practice more! My labor progressed so fast we didn't even think about pain relief because by the time it got really painful, my husband was getting ready to go and took our son to our neighbors house...and honestly at that time I was thinking I needed to get to the hospital for pain relief! I had no idea how close I was to the end! If the pain was going to be that bad for many more hours...i wanted something...I was losing the battle trying to relax but I was almost done
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What position did you end up delivering in?
I was as close to a squatting position as I could get on the hospital labor bed.
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How did it feel to hold your baby for the first time?
It felt surreal...amazing...I was speechless.
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What advice can you give to other mamas who want to go natural?
Practice! Practice! PRACTICE relaxing!!!! And practice with a coach! You cannot practice too much! I wouldn't have been able to relax through most of my labor without the practicing we did throughout the pregnancy, and I believe the relaxing truly helped my labor to progress faster! ☺️ Having my husband coach me through the contractions helped me soooo much. His voice helped me focus on relaxing and what my body was doing instead of the pain.
