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When did you realize you were really in labor?
I was woken around 10 pm with cramping. I thought it was just more Braxton Hicks like I had been having my whole pregnancy. When I couldn't go back to sleep and they started to gradually get more intense, I knew it was the real thing. I started using my contraction timer app and they were steadily coming so I called my midwife. We had a 1.5-hour drive to the birthing center, so we went ahead and got ready to go.
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What was the most challenging thing about going natural?
For my first birthing experience, pushing was a relief but with this birth, pushing was more of a challenge. My baby boy was large and had shoulder dystocia, so he was harder to push out. I started pushing on a birthing stool but kept sliding forward because I wanted to recline. I moved up onto the bed where I could slightly recline and felt more powerful with my pushes then. I remember thinking he must be stuck because it felt like I was pushing for so long and he still wasn't here. But, just as I had those feelings of a doubt my midwife said "your baby has a lot of hair!" And for some reason that gave me a burst of energy and was able to push harder to get him out. I think hearing that I had made progress enough to see his head gave me the confidence I needed at the time.
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What was the most helpful thing you did to prepare for childbirth?
Prayer and red raspberry leaf tea. Watching natural birth videos and reading stories helped me a lot also.
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What surprised you about your birth?
How big my baby was. In my mind, I pictured a petite girl and we were blessed with a 9lb 8.5oz boy.
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Get a doula at the very least, better yet find an awesome midwife at a birthing center. Have a birth plan, do your research. Make sure your partner knows your birth plan. Read and watch birth stories and don't forget your red raspberry tea!
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What pain relief strategies worked best?
I was able to stand and lean onto the side of a bed for most of my labor until it was time to push. Swaying and slightly squatting when contractions came helped me a lot. I also felt like the upright posture really helped my contractions stay strong and progress quickly. My goal was faster labor this time because my first birth took two days, and having that goal helped me stay strong. Keeping an open mouth and moaning through the pain helped me a lot too.
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How did it feel to hold your baby for the first time?
Pure bliss.
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What did you name your baby, and why?
His name is Torben
Nicolas. Torben is a Danish name to honor my husband's heritage, it means Thunder Bear. When my big dark-haired, chubby-cheeked boy arrived Earthside with fast labor I knew he was a Thunder Bear. Nicolas is a family name and I love the namesake of St. Nicholas. Saint Nicholas was the saint of the city of Myra, which is the name of my late Mother.
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What advice can you give to other mamas who want to go natural?
Get a doula at the very least, better yet find an awesome midwife at a birthing center. Have a birth plan, do your research. Make sure your partner knows your birth plan. Read and watch birth stories and don't forget your red raspberry tea!
