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When did you realize you were really in labor?
I immediately knew I was in labor! I went from some slight discomfort to intense contractions that didn't stop. Literally! I had what's called a precipitous birth - the quick onset of contractions lasted exactly 2 hours. They began at 10:00 am and my son was born at 12:00 pm in our bathtub.
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What was the most challenging thing about going natural?
The most challenging part of going natural was letting go of and truly releasing the resistance in my mind! My mind couldn't catch up to my body as labor started. I wanted to breathe through each contraction, reading affirmations, but my labor wasn't like the traditional textbook! I went straight into self-doubt nearing transition! I started to feel weak and like maybe I wasn't cut out for natural birth. I never even had the thought of needing pain medicine or feeling like the hospital would be the safest place... I was very comfortable in my home and had a wonderful husband guiding me through each moment! There were definitely challenging moments not getting breaks in between each contraction like in traditional labor.
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What was the most helpful thing you did to prepare for childbirth?
The most helpful thing I did to prepare was setting a morning routine: gratitude, stretches, affirmations, prenatal vitamins, etc! This helped me to feel grounded & confident about childbirth. I did this thorough research, reading blogs, consistent exercises, tea, dates, all the things!! I loved reading the mama natural weekly guide. I also followed a lot of natural birth accounts on social media. I lived and breathed natural birth to get the fear and doubt out of my mind!
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What surprised you about your birth?
As much as we prepared, the thought of having a precipitous birth before our midwife arrived was definitely not expected! Our doula arrived after our baby's head was crowning with the last ejectile push and the baby was on my chest! It was very intimate just my husband. I am very proud of us - not once did we panic. We used everything we learned from our Bradley Method Course and there supplies we had left out for the midwife. It was a beautiful experience! We had also paid a photographer/videographer who missed the birth as well. Luckily the oxytocin him when I got into the bathtub and realized my baby's head was out! I told my husband to film this now! And we got a pretty epic selfies of the three of us (baby's head & parents!)
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You can do it! There may be fear and doubt surrounding the topic from friends, family, and the traditional medical field, BUT if you want a natural birth be grounded & confident in that decision.
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What pain relief strategies worked best?
Switching positions! For me, I felt the most relief sitting on the toilet & laying on the cold tile floor.
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How did it feel to hold your baby for the first time?
I was still in shock having such fast labor! I wish I could make those moments slow down. I'm grateful we had planned on doing a cord-burning ceremony - as this time was beautiful and really helped us all take a breath and honor our baby's quick entrance into this world! I highly recommend this to anyone considering!
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What did you name your baby, and why?
We had no idea what we were going to name our baby! During labor, my husband was wearing a hat that had a picture of a fox and the word "hunter". He remembered taking it off when I was getting into the bathtub. After the baby was born and I moved to the bed to await the placenta delivery. Someone had moved the ottoman with the hat into the bedroom. And my husband said the hat was staring at him and he thought hmmm... that's a nice name... Hunter. We pondered for weeks but the name Hunter seemed to be the best fit for our beautiful boy! P.S.: we have a dog that is named Fox so it was also fitting that a fox was on the hat! Now we make up stories about "hunter & the fox" going on all the adventures around the world!
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What advice can you give to other mamas who want to go natural?
You can do it! There may be fear and doubt surrounding the topic from friends, family, and the traditional medical field, BUT if you want a natural birth be grounded & confident in that decision. Find people that do support this decision and make them your pack! Embrace social media accounts that empower women and the birth experience!! Read affirmations daily. Go for walks. Stretch every day! When in doubt about something search it on the mama natural blog! Just surround yourself with natural birth and I promise you will feel more at ease and confident as you get closer to labor! Trust your body & baby! Know your rights if you chose to go to the hospital or birth center! And don't be scared to change providers! I left the birth center at 32 weeks and found a home birth midwife because I knew I needed someone whose values aligned!
