Reading Natural Birth Stories Helped Alysse During Hospital Birth

When did you realize you were really in labor?

I had a feeling I'd go into labor after having my membranes swept at my appointment three days after my due date. I was cramping a ton all evening and having my bloody show. Around 11 pm I'd start to have small contractions that I couldn't sleep through as well that were definitely different from all the Braxton Hicks I'd been having and spaced ten minutes apart, so that's when I suspected it was the real deal.

What was the most challenging thing about going natural?

I think the most challenging thing for me was being in the hospital trying to birth naturally. Lucky for me, my hospital was a two-minute drive away and I was able to labor as long as possible at home, so I only really spent two hours in the hospital. But those two hours were so much less relaxing, with my nurse glancing at my birth plan telling me "You know, you don't get a metal for doing it natural" (not knowing I was already at an 8 because she hadn't check me yet!) and making me wear the monitors that made contractions ten times worse. Although my hospital had all the great things like pools, birthing balls, and squatting bars, I still didn't feel the support other than from my husband. Once my nurse realized how far along I was though, she did do a great job of coaching me through breathing, though my husband was already doing an amazing job at that. The on-call doctor was delivering several babies at once and acted very rushed, which I believe resulted in pushing too hard and fast and an episiotomy. I wish I had someone that was more on board with keeping my perineum intact and helping me get through it without tearing.

What was the most helpful thing you did to prepare for childbirth?

There were two things I found most helpful. The first was was reading natural birth stories. You don't see many in the media and online and I wanted to make sure I knew what a normal, natural birth looked like. This helped calm my fears and misconceptions that birth is excruciatingly painful and that I'll scream bloody murder and yell at my husband and beg for an epidural. I realized a common thread in most natural birth stories and that was the women believed they could do it and they did.

The second thing that was most helpful was learning proper breathing techniques for each stage of labor. I would not have been able to get through it if my husband and I were not confident in our breathing techniques.

What surprised you about your birth?

A lot of things surprised me! I surprised myself with how well I did and how smooth my labor went! I was so calm for most of it and was pretty straightforward. I never expecting to get at the hospital when I was an 8 and then an hour and a half later be pushing for only 15 minutes. I wanted it to go that way, but I learned that you usually don't get what you expect! I was surprised that the "ring of fire" didn't hurt as much as I was expecting. Thank goodness! But I was surprised at how much I hated being stitched up down there almost more than labor.

You can do it! Don't listen to the world telling you going natural is too hard, even impossible. Know what real natural births look and feel like.

What pain relief strategies worked best?

Breathing, by far is what got me through the whole labor. Instead of thinking of contractions as pain, I thought of them as progress and breathing them out would descend my baby down. Earlier on in labor, it was taking hot showers, my husband massaging my lower back, kneeling crouched over my birthing ball and swaying, and trying to keep myself distracted.

What position did you end up delivering in?

Since I was in the hospital, they made me get up on the bed which was slightly inclined. I pushed on my side and hoped they'd let me deliver that way, but they made me go onto my back for the delivery.

How did it feel to hold your baby for the first time?

Indescribable. The best feeling in the world. I felt euphoric and so accomplished I helped bring her into the world. And she was absolutely perfect!

What advice can you give to other mamas who want to go natural?

You can do it! Don't listen to the world telling you going natural is too hard, even impossible. Know what real natural births look and feel like. Read books, talk to other moms that have done it. Learn pain relief techniques. Be positive and confident in yourself. I tell anyone that asks if I would ever have a natural birth again, "a million times yes!"