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When did you realize you were really in labor?
I woke up around 4:15 in the morning and went to the bathroom. As I went to lay back down to go back to sleep I felt a strong cramp and then a pop and a small gush of liquid. I really was not sure what had happened at the moment since I had never had my water break prior to pushing in previous births and I was not experiencing contractions that I was aware of but I knew something was happening. I do not think I believed I was in labor until I was pushing.
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What was the most challenging thing about going natural?
Fear. Fearing the unknown. The what ifs.
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Birth
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What was the most helpful thing you did to prepare for childbirth?
The most helpful things that we did to prepare for childbirth was to read/re-read books about labor, delivery, birth, anything childbirth related, take a refresher class and talk about and write out our expectations for all different circumstances.
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What surprised you about your birth?
How quickly it progressed. We called the midwife and birth assistant close to 5 in the morning to let them know that we thought that we were in labor and believed that some water had leaked but that I was having inconsistent contractions. They planned to arrive as quickly as possible to monitor but thought that would be around 7:30 in the morning. The midwife arrived between 7:30 and 7:45 in the morning and our daughter was born at 8:17 in the morning. The birth assistant arrived at 8:25 in the morning.
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You Can Do It!
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What pain relief strategies worked best?
Taking relaxing breaths helped for most of the contractions before pushing but during transition, I remember having two contractions where having someone put pressure on my hops by squeezing them and swaying worked well. After that pushing.
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How did it feel to hold your baby for the first time?
Perfect. It is an incredible moment.
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What did you name your baby, and why?
We named our baby Elisabeth after Elisabeth Elliot missionary to Ecuador and Christian author and speaker who has had a great influence on me and my growth as a Christian.
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What advice can you give to other mamas who want to go natural?
You Can Do It!
It is hard work but doable.
It is important to prepare. Learn. Ask questions. Take a class or two. Read. Work through fear. Know that you were made for it.
“Sometimes... fear does not subside and... one must choose to do it afraid.”― Elisabeth Elliot
