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When did you realize you were really in labor?
I was at our local coffee shop, and I had my son with me. I was having contractions that were about 30 minutes apart that afternoon, and when we were at the coffee shop, they went to 20 minutes apart. I knew I was in labor!
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What was the most challenging thing about going natural?
I thought I had a pretty good handle on managing my pain with my breathing and counting during my contractions. After my water broke, the pain doubled in intensity, and I asked the nurse for pain relief. She asked me if I had pressure in my butt, and I said yes. She felt certain I had hit transition. My midwife checked me, and I was 9 cm. At that point, I was terrified because the pain was so intense. My husband looked at me intensely with tears welled up in his eyes, and he said, "You were meant to do this Linds. This is it. This is what you wanted." That was all I needed to hear. He saved me in that moment.
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mommy.celia
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What was the most helpful thing you did to prepare for childbirth?
I regularly saw my friend and chiropractor who specializes in pregnant women and infants. I wish I would have seen her with my first pregnancy because I'm certain that her regular adjustments helped me have my VBAC. The other things I have to say in regard to preparation is that I ate dates throughout my pregnancy, and I drank red raspberry leaf tea during the last couple weeks. I'm a firm believer that those two things prepared my uterus and cervix for birth, which again, enabled me to have a fairly fast and wonderful 100% all natural (gluten-free, non-GMO, organic, sugar-free, dairy-free, soy-free LOL) VBAC!
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What surprised you about your birth?
The biggest surprise was how fast it happened. I arrived at the hospital at midnight, got into my room at 12:30, and had my daughter at 2:18 a.m. My first labor was 36 hours with 3 hours of pushing included. This labor was 11 hours total with 22 minutes of pushing. I was 4 years older too. When you take care of yourself, believe in yourself, and have support...anything is possible!
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My husband looked at me intensely with tears welled up in his eyes, and he said, "You were meant to do this Linds. This is it. This is what you wanted." That was all I needed to hear. He saved me in that moment.
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What pain relief strategies worked best?
Visualization was my biggest helper. I would imagine my contractions opening up my birth canal. I focused on the fact that they were helping me; not hurting me. Next to that, having my nurse and husband count with me in my face and remind me to breathe.
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What position did you end up delivering in?
I was on my back, but I labored on all fours or was draped over the back of the hospital bed. My midwife wanted me on my back to push.
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How did it feel to hold your baby for the first time?
It was surreal. Since I had a VBAC, I was in such disbelief of what happened. It was simply the most healing moment of my life as a woman.
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What advice can you give to other mamas who want to go natural?
Your outcome is highly influenced by your mindset. The situation is 99% mental and 1% physical. Your body knows exactly what to do. You just have to believe that truth, and visualize yourself giving birth. I would literally say, "I'm opening, I'm opening..." out loud when I had each contraction. Focus on the visual of opening up as each contraction comes and goes. You are simply surfing waves that get you one step closer to meeting your beautiful baby!
