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When did you realize you were really in labor?
I knew I was in labor by around noon that day. I had mild contractions since about 7:30am, and both my midwife and my doula were not concerned, but by noon I got into a warm bath and began to time my contractions, which were much more intense, and a steady 5 minutes apart. I got out of the tub and went to the toilet - my mucus plug came out and my water broke - a slow stream, not at all like the movies, but there was no doubt.
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What was the most challenging thing about going natural?
The most challenging thing for me was fear - dealing with my own fear. I read and prepped, hired a doula, studied hypno birthing, you name it - I researched way more about natural childbirth than I did about how to take care of my baby once she was born!
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Baby-Phoenix
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What was the most helpful thing you did to prepare for childbirth?
The most helpful thing I did to get ready for childbirth was to prepare mentally and physically. I did yoga, ate right, saw a Webster chiropractor (specifically for pregnant woman to widen the pelvis and prepare for birth). For me, even though I struggled with fear, I also had a fierce determination to go natural. In my mind, it wasn't an option for me to have an epidural, or be bullied into having a C-section. Even when, at 8 months pregnant, my doctor told me I had GBS and I'd need to be hooked up to an antibiotic IV drip during birth, I refused. I researched and did every natural (safe) remedy I could do, to clear my body of GBS - which I subsequently retested negative for, 4 days before I gave birth. So when my daughter was born in the birthing center, it was all natural, no drugs, nothing hooked up to me - I wanted that so much for my baby, that I truly believe that desire went a long way in manifesting it.
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What surprised you about your birth?
I was surprised that I didn't need my doula during the birth. She gave me 2 classes while I was pregnant, and taught me a few things, and I researched a tremendous amount, but I thought I couldn't do it without her. Yet I was in labor at home and concentrating on my breathing and calm until about 2 hours before the birth and she wasn't there with me. She didn't believe my labor was as far along as I knew it was, so even though my fiance updated her via phone every few minutes, from my very first contraction that morning, she took her time packing her bag, etc. and said she had time, even though he kept telling her she should come. But I suppose my calmness threw her off. By the time she did eventually arrive, I was actually ready to push and I just didn't know it. I was having major intense contractions 1 minute apart, and we all jumped into a cab to the birthing center. The minute I got there, my midwife did an exam and announced I was already 10 centimeters! It was time to push and my daughter was born 1.5 hours after I got to the birthing center - there was no need or time for the doula. I labored at home, on my own, never freaked out or anything, and I credit that to all the months of preparation.
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Believe you can do it. Know that it is the most natural thing in the world, to go natural.
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What pain relief strategies worked best?
Breathing! I did practice hypno birthing for a month or two, while I was pregnant. And during the last 2 hours of labor, when the contractions were the most intense and painful, I tried to get those 'images' in my head, but I couldn't - it just did not work for me. But regular deep breathing, and some 'hee hee' breathing, definitely helped alot. It helped to keep me calm, and to breathe through the pain. It also ensured my daughter was getting oxygen while I pushed.
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What position did you end up delivering in?
I ended up delivering in a sort of sitting up position, very, very slightly reclined back, holding my own legs open. But as soon as I arrived at the birthing center, I jumped up on the bed - between contractions - and got on all fours! I was convinced that's how I would have my baby. That's actually the position I was in when my midwife checked me and discovered I was already 10 centimeters.
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How did it feel to hold your baby for the first time?
It felt amazing! I actually couldn't believe she was real - that I made a person, and she was now in my arms. I was crying and screaming 'Oh My God' over and over. I was in love with her from that moment.
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What advice can you give to other mamas who want to go natural?
Believe you can do it. Know that it is the most natural thing in the world, to go natural. During my last month of pregnancy, when I was walking around petrified at what was to come, what helped me, was I'd just look around at all the people walking through the streets of NYC and think, somebody gave birth to each and every one of these people - and they're adults, so most likely their Moms did it a natural, before the C-section craze took over. They all survived, and I will too. It's helpful to feel strongly in your mind that you can do it, just like millions of women before you. And some physical and lots of mental preparation, is definitely necessary. One last important thing I recommend is to find someone trustworthy and experienced, to turn your placenta into capsules, and eat them over the course of a couple weeks, after your birth. I was prime post-partum depression material. I got fired from my job when I was 8 months pregnant, my fiance and I were at all out war with each other before and after my birth. I'm also a bit anxious and prone to mild depression anyway. But I did not feel in the least bit depressed after my baby's birth - I didn't miss a beat. I had more energy than I knew I had a right to, being that my daughters mouth never left my breast (haha), yet the only feelings I had towards my baby during those early days and weeks and months (and now, of course, 4 years later) was/is love. And I owe a great deal of my emotional stability during those early days, to eating my placenta. It's important to take good care of yourself during your pregnancy, so your placenta is nutritious and not toxic, mind you, but eating it was a life saver for me.
