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When did you realize you were really in labor?
I had some contractions a few days before that once I got in the shower, the pain subsided and they eventually fizzled out. The "real deal" contractions just kept coming and the pain could not be eased with a warm shower. I kept doubting though because I hadn't seen any of the other signs of labor. I kept looking for my mucus plug, but it didn't end up coming out until I was fully dilated and ready to push. My water didn't break until I started pushing. Once our doula arrived, (who is also a midwife) she checked me and I was 5 cm dilated and about 75% effaced. That's when I finally realized our baby girl was definitely on the way!
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What was the most challenging thing about going natural?
Natural childbirth was definitely the hardest thing I've ever done in my life, however, even while I was in the midst of it, I can't imagine doing it any other way. I felt like my body was doing what it was supposed to be doing and I just needed to relax and let my baby come into this world. The most challenging part of the whole experience was pushing. As I was pushing, the birth team realized there was meconium staining in my amniotic fluid, I hemorrhaged a little and my baby's heartbeat dropped briefly. I started out pushing in the squat position, but the midwife told me to lay back on my left side to help the baby. Then she had me pushing on my back which felt unnatural to me. It felt like I was going to break open from all the pressure, but once I relaxed my pelvic floor and really gave pushing everything I had, my baby really started moving down. I pushed just under an hour, but it went by so fast and then before I knew it, my baby was out and on my chest!
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What was the most helpful thing you did to prepare for childbirth?
Reading birth stories and watching birth videos really helped me to believe in my body's ability to birth naturally. I read a ton of childbirth books that helped me get in the mindset for labor. I also read that keeping your upper body relaxed helps your body to open up below, so I tried to focus on keeping myself relaxed during contractions.
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What surprised you about your birth?
How quick it felt! It wasn't an incredibly short labor but time seemed to pass by quickly that day. I woke with contractions at about 5:00 AM and had my baby girl at 12:24 am that night. Once our doula arrived at 5:20 pm, things moved very fast for me and next thing I know we were at the hospital and I was in transition.
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I've always known I wanted a natural childbirth, but it helped give me confidence in my decision.
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What pain relief strategies worked best?
Vocalization. I had trouble keeping my tones low, but my doula helped remind me to bring my tone back down when it creeped up. I also massaged stress balls with my husband. Deep breathing after and between contractions helped calm and reset my body for the next contraction. My doula gently rubbed on my back between contractions and that was very relaxing.
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What position did you end up delivering in?
On my back.
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How did it feel to hold your baby for the first time?
Completely natural, like she's always been a part of the family.
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How did the Mama Natural Birth Class help you in your childbirth?
I've always known I wanted a natural childbirth, but it helped give me confidence in my decision.
