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When did you realize you were really in labor?
I realized I was in labor at 8:00pm on 11/14 while I was sitting in my natural birthing class!
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What was the most challenging thing about going natural?
The most challenging thing about going natural was trying to stay mentally focused & relaxed through contractions especially once we got to the hospital
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What was the most helpful thing you did to prepare for childbirth?
My husband & I took a 12-week Bradley Method childbirth class, which extensively prepared us both, specifically preparing me for what I would go through, and him to be able to coach me through it all
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What surprised you about your birth?
I was surprised by how quick it was (12 hours from start to finish), and how purposeful the pain felt, to where I never doubted that I could handle the pain
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It's 99% mental. Know that your body was made for this and that there is no pain in childbirth you can't handle because it's your own body creating the pain. Also, a natural childbirth is the biggest gift you can give your child at that moment, allowing them to enter life without the effects of drugs and other unnecessary interventions.
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What pain relief strategies worked best?
The more I visualized what my body was doing, attempted at total relaxation and simply let go of my desire to control the pain, the more relief I found. The moment I feared or even doubted my labor, the more it hurt.
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What position did you end up delivering in?
I pushed the majority of the time in a squatting position on the bed, hanging over the squatting bar, then the last 2 pushes I pushed in a laid back squat with my feet on the squatting bar
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How did it feel to hold your baby for the first time?
It was the best thing in the whole world
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What advice can you give to other mamas who want to go natural?
It's 99% mental. Know that your body was made for this and that there is no pain in childbirth you can't handle because it's your own body creating the pain. Also, a natural childbirth is the biggest gift you can give your child at that moment, allowing them to enter life without the effects of drugs and other unnecessary interventions. Despite the pain of natural childbirth, one of the most compelling things to me was that all the women I've talked to who've gone natural remember it for the beauty of the experience, not for the pain. And at the same time, most women who used medication describe first the pain and uncomfort of childbirth, rather than any sort of positive experience.
