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When did you realize you were really in labor?
When my water broke at 3:45 am after I got up to use the bathroom and laid back down. I had 3 contractions 20 minutes apart as I tried to sleep. So I got up and started getting ready. Immediately, my contractions were every 4 minutes apart.
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What was the most challenging thing about going natural?
Delivering at home and midwife not being present. Since my labor came so fast and I live over two hours away from my midwife, she ended doing her very first tele-birth. My husband delivered and our two daughters helped.
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What was the most helpful thing you did to prepare for childbirth?
I read a book called “Home Birth on Your Own Terms” in case I needed it. Plus, since I conceived during COVID quarantine, I had no idea what to expect down the road, so I prepared as much as I could for home birth. I also watched lots of birthing videos a couple of weeks before delivery.
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What surprised you about your birth?
How fast my baby was born. How calm we all were considering the change of plans. I originally was supposed to deliver at a birthing center. And how much energy I had since it was in the comfort of my own home. It was my favorite birth experience compared to my other 4 at a hospital and one at a birthing center.
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What pain relief strategies worked best?
Breathing like Mamanatural’s last birth (like a horse) during the pushing phase. Also, drinking lots of cold, freshly squeezed orange juice helped with energy and cold, coconut water with electrolytes. And TONS of water! Also, firm pressure on my lower back during contractions.
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How did it feel to hold your baby for the first time?
Unbelievable!!!! Awesome!!! A miracle :) Since my last pregnancy ended in a stillbirth, the 2 year-long wait to finally hold my baby in my arms felt like what a mama elephant feels (that’s how long they’re pregnant).
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What did you name your baby, and why?
Jasher ~ from the extra-biblical text “Book of Jasher”. It means upright/righteous. It’s also mentioned in Joshua 10:13.
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What advice can you give to other mamas who want to go natural?
It’s the most amazing experience a woman’s body can go through. Feeling it all makes you feel so empowered and alive! If women did it naturally for thousands of years, anyone can.
