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When did you realize you were really in labor?
I was induced, but real "labor" for me started when they punctured my water. I started to feel contractions, but till then I did not feel contractions.
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What was the most challenging thing about going natural?
Balancing the medical advice with what I wanted. I had a very strong desire to do it all "natural" but due to age (40), 1st baby, being over due. We were advised to induce. It is not what we wanted, but it is what needed to happen. Baby ended up being delivered via c-section after 26 hours of labor. I worked so hard and letting go of the fact that my birth would not be what I wanted, but it did not matter as long as I got the outcome that I wanted at the end. It was a happy and healthy baby boy.
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What was the most helpful thing you did to prepare for childbirth?
I read Mama Natural birth stories, read The Baby Catcher, I read Ina May's book. I also talked to as many people as I knew who had natural deliveries. I "trained" for birth in the last trimester like I tried for a marathon. I walked every morning or did restorative yin yoga. I also saw a NUCCA practitioner (chiropractor) through out the pregnancy. I got messages every month and saw an acupuncturist. I went in a mentally prepared for natural child birth as I could, but that was not the path that happened.
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What surprised you about your birth?
When my baby was delivered he was crying still in the womb. His apgar score was a 9 and a 9. I believe that everything that I did to have a natural delivery helped him. Also, I can not believe how quickly after he was in my arms I did not care that it did to go the way I wanted it to go. I had done all the right things and they felt that his head would not have fit through the birth canal. It does not matter now. I have a healthy baby and we are both loving each other.
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What pain relief strategies worked best?
Breathing through the contractions and movement. I was in the glider or on the birthing ball for much of my labor. Also, being suborn that I did not need pain meds and knowing that it was pain with a purpose. Everything is temporary and knowing it will all be worth it in the end.
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How did it feel to hold your baby for the first time?
I was in shock. We were convinced we were having a girl so when they said we had a boy I was just in shock. Also, hearing him cry and feeling his skin on my skin was the best feeling ever. I can not describe the relief that I had of holding him and him being on my chest.
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What did you name your baby, and why?
Abbott Christopher. I am a teacher and I have a lot of name associations with kids. My boyfriend is a chiropractor, so he knows many people. Both of our names start with an A, so wanted an A name. Also, wanted something that teachers and people could know to to say, but yet unique. We did not know if we were having a boy or a girl until he was born, so went into labor with a list of names. His middle name is after paternal grandfather first name and father's middle name.
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What advice can you give to other mamas who want to go natural?
You can do this!!!!!! Plan to have a natural birth and put in the work. If it does not go how you want then let go of the natural birth and know that all the hard work you put in will benefit you and the baby in recovery.
