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When did you realize you were really in labor?
I rolled over in bed around 10:00 PM on a Tuesday night and felt something wet. I called my midwife to tell her I thought my water had broken, but I wasn't sure, as it was a small amount of liquid. She told me that as long as I wasn't soaking through anything, to try to get some sleep and call back in the morning. I had contractions all night long. At the time, I wasn't sure if they were Braxton Hicks or the real deal. Looking back, I now know they were real. The following morning, I called my birth center and the midwife on call told me to come in at 10:00 AM to do a labor workup. She confirmed that my water had indeed broken and that what I was feeling were real contractions. Since I had tested positive for Group B Strep, she said that I needed to be in active labor by 10:00 PM that night or I would have to go to the hospital. She sent my husband and I home to get our bags and for me to drink a milkshake with castor oil in it to hopefully get my contractions going. At 4:00 PM that afternoon, my husband, mom, and I arrived at the birth center to have my baby.
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What was the most challenging thing about going natural?
The most challenging thing for me was fear of the unknown. I typically have high pain tolerance, but I was nervous about whether or not I could endure pain for an unknown amount of time.
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ELRP9708
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What was the most helpful thing you did to prepare for childbirth?
I did a number of things. I took a birthing class at my birth center, specifically for out-of-hospital birth. I also took the Mama Natural Birth Course. I drank red raspberry leaf tea and sat on a birth ball every day from about 20 weeks until my daughter was born. I also practiced different breathing techniques and read other women's natural birth stories and talked to women I knew who had chosen to go natural. I believe that natural is the healthiest way to go for both mom and baby. Of course, I know that there are circumstances when that isn't possible. As long as everything was progressing normally, I wanted to have a natural, low-intervention birth.
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What surprised you about your birth?
I was surprised by the fact that during transition was the only time I wanted to give up. The rest of the time I was able to work through it and didn't feel like giving up, although it was still challenging. I was also surprised that my labor was technically 31 hours from the time my water broke until my daughter was actually born. But I wasn't in unbearable pain the entire time. I was also surprised the amount of relief I felt in the shower while I was in labor. It was the most relaxing thing up until I was in transition.
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What pain relief strategies worked best?
The shower helped the most up until I was in transition. Holding a warm rice filled sock on my stomach was also very helpful. Focusing on my breathing also helped. During transition, keeping my eyes closed, being in the bathtub, and breathing like a horse (like Ina May Gaskin talks about) helped me.
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How did it feel to hold your baby for the first time?
I was just in disbelief holding my daughter for the first time. It was such a strange experience. I was relieved not to be in pain anymore. Then all of a sudden, I had this little tiny person who was asleep all the time. I had been around children a lot, I actually worked in the baby room in a daycare in college, so I knew how to care for a baby. The fact that this one was actually mine, she came from me and my husband, was just so crazy to believe. Especially since we waited until birth to find out the gender, I couldn't believe I actually had a little girl.
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What did you name your baby, and why?
We named our daughter Amelia Elizabeth. We chose Amelia because it is a name that both my husband and I liked. Also, my husband's first language is Spanish and while it's pronounced differently in English and Spanish, it is spelled the same, which makes it easy for all of our family members to pronounce. Her middle name, Elizabeth, is after my mom. Her name is Elizabeth (but she goes by Liz). I always wanted to use family names for middle names, so we chose my mom's name for our first daughter.
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What advice can you give to other mamas who want to go natural?
I would say that preparation is extremely important. I would say that I am pretty natural/crunchy in my everyday life. While it is possible, I don't think it would be easy to just walk in off the street and have a natural childbirth, you have to prepare. My GP is a chiropractor who has additional training in all aspects of health. I had been getting adjusted on a regular basis for 3.5 years when my daughter was born, which I believe helped us get pregnant and helped me throughout my entire pregnancy and birth. Doing things to prepare your body, like drinking red raspberry leaf tea and sitting on a birth ball, and preparing yourself mentally is extremely important. You also need to know WHY you want to go natural. Also, talking to other women who have gone natural and are passionate about it is very encouraging.
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How did the Mama Natural Birth Class help you in your childbirth?
I would say that preparation is extremely important. I would say that I am pretty natural/crunchy in my everyday life. Doing things to prepare your body, like drinking red raspberry leaf tea and sitting on a birth ball, and preparing yourself mentally is extremely important. You also need to know WHY you want to go natural. Also, talking to other women who have gone natural and are passionate about it is very encouraging.
