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When did you realize you were really in labor?
My husband and I went for a walk around 6:30 pm on my due date. I had some cramping and spotting when we got home, so I called my doctor's office. They told me to go to the hospital to be checked. We thought we would just get sent home, but they said that I was dilated and had a small leak of amniotic fluid and that I would be staying until I had the baby. I don't think I would have realized I was in labor if I hadn't had the spotting because my contractions didn't get intense until late morning the next day.
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What was the most challenging thing about going natural?
The fear of the unknown was the hardest for me. Everyone's labors are different, so there is know way to know what it is going to be like until you are going through it.
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What was the most helpful thing you did to prepare for childbirth?
I read a Bradley method book and practiced relaxing my whole body. My husband and I practiced some things together from the Bradley method book, but I just needed him to be quiet, let me do my thing, and let the nurses know when I was having a contraction when they were in the room so they would leave me alone. The most helpful thing during contractions was just closing my eyes and singing a Christian song in my head to relax.
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What surprised you about your birth?
My labor was much longer than my mother's 3 labors. I was expecting to labor for a few hours, push a few minutes, and be done. Instead, I was admitted to the hospital around 8:30 pm, started pushing a little after 11 am, and my baby was born at 12:54 pm. I was also surprised at how well I was able to handle the contractions.
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Don't let anyone tell you you shouldn't do it. I had some people including one of my doctors tell me that their natural birthing experiences were terrible and that I shouldn't try it. As long as you prepare yourself as much as you can and just find what works for you in the moment you CAN do it!
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What pain relief strategies worked best?
Relaxation was the best pain relief for me. I tried different laboring positions too, but I ended up laying in bed to try to get rest through the night and to be able to completely block everything else out.
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What position did you end up delivering in?
The doctors positioned me on my back, then on my side, and later with my feet in the stirrups. Both mine and the baby's heart rates dropped, so I had to be given oxygen, and they found that my baby had his hand behind his head, so they had to do an episiotomy and use the vacuum to get him out after I had pushed for about an hour and a half. If all that hadn't been going on I would have liked to have tried squatting or some other position.
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How did it feel to hold your baby for the first time?
After he was born, the doctors laid my son on my chest. I had my eyes closed while I was pushing, and I was too tired to open them when they laid him on my chest. I put my hand on him, and I was so relieved to have him safely out. They had to take him and give him oxygen, but when I got him back I was just so happy and proud to have such a beautiful baby.
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What advice can you give to other mamas who want to go natural?
I was going to try to go natural without having done any reading or looking much into it. My doctor told me I should attend a class or at least read a book. Reading a Bradley method book gave me some exercises and relaxation techniques to practice. I would definitely recommend practicing relaxation. If you can't relax your whole body when you are practicing at home with just your everyday worries on your mind, you probably won't be able to relax your whole body when you are worried about getting your baby into the world.
Also, don't let anyone tell you you shouldn't do it. I had some people including one of my doctors tell me that their natural birthing experiences were terrible and that I shouldn't try it. As long as you prepare yourself as much as you can and just find what works for you in the moment you CAN do it!
