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When did you realize you were really in labor?
My water broke at 11 PM on the night of my due date. I had no signs of contractions so it caught me and my husband completely off guard. Once my water broke, I knew it would be go-time in the next 12-24 hours. Sure enough, contractions started at 1:30 AM and I labored all night with them getting progressively more intense and we arrived at the birthing center at 7 AM the next morning ready to have a baby!
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What was the most challenging thing about going natural?
I would say that the most challenging part was not knowing how much longer I needed to push. As we neared the end (the baby was crowning) I kept asking the midwives how many more pushes they thought and they just said keep pushing as hard as you can each time. Being a former athlete, I knew I could go as long as I needed to, but I wanted an idea of how long so I could mentally prepare myself for that. Obviously the pain was intense, but I never felt like it was too much or that I wanted to give up. What I did wish for was a longer break between contractions for a quick nap :)
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What was the most helpful thing you did to prepare for childbirth?
I think the best thing I did was to go in without any expectations and trust in the fact that God created the female body to give birth and I could have peace that my body would take over. Of course I knew what I wanted in terms of medical interventions/post deliver care, etc. and I created a birth plan in the event of having to transfer to a hospital, but I never even took it out of my bag. I went in with the mindset that I was going to deliver my baby naturally, in whatever way felt right (in the bed, water, squatting...whatever felt good), I knew it was going to hurt but I also know myself and I know that I have a high pain tolerance and am mentally strong when it comes to being in pain/uncomfortable. I just told myself that this is the only situation in life where the pain is good because it means I am getting closer to meeting my baby. I tried to focus on not fighting the pain, but letting my body relax and do what it was designed to do.
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What surprised you about your birth?
How loud I grunted! Days before our due date I said to my husband, I wonder how I'll be when I'm delivering our girl. I am usually pretty quite when I'm in pain but man, my body took over and I was grunting like my life depended on it trying to get my baby out. I am also very modest/private in general, but while I was in labor, I didn't care...I just got as comfortable as possible and did my thing.
I was also surprised by how quickly the contractions progressed. They started at 1:30 AM and very quickly got intense. By 6 AM they were 5 minutes apart and we delivered at 11:30 AM after about 2 hours of intense pushing. I thought I would have time to put on some music, diffuse some essential oils, etc., but by the time we got to the birthing center I couldn't even form a sentence, I was so focused on getting through each contraction, one at a time. We didn't even text our family to let them know we were in labor...we just sent them a text that said 'She's here! Come see us in an hour!' They were shocked.
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There's something so special about being able to feel the process and be in tune with what's going on as you bring a human being into the world. Trust yourself and your body.
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What pain relief strategies worked best?
While I was laboring at home, my doula suggested a bath and that was the best thing I did all night. I took a hot bath with epsom salt and it was great. Once we got to the birthing center, I got in the tub as soon as possible and stayed there until I delivered my baby. Other than that, just changing positions as needed and trying to relax with long, slow breathing through each contraction to let my body do the work.
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What position did you end up delivering in?
In the water, knees pulled up to my chest pushing like my life depended on it :)
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How did it feel to hold your baby for the first time?
Amazing. I have the most beautiful picture of me with my head back smiling with tears in my eyes, her on my chest, and my husband behind me with his hands on my shoulder. It felt like sweet relief and so much pride to hold my girl in my arms. I was so proud of my body and so grateful to finally be holding my precious baby girl.
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What advice can you give to other mamas who want to go natural?
You can TOTALLY do it! The pain is real, but it's also very temporary (and you get short breaks in between). There's something so special about being able to feel the process and be in tune with what's going on as you bring a human being into the world. Trust yourself and your body. As women we were created to create, sustain, and deliver new life into this world and it's one of the most powerful and rewarding experiences I've ever had.
