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When did you realize you were really in labor?
My best friend and I were just about to leave to go shopping when my water broke. I had been having contractions consistently every three minutes for a couple of hours but they weren’t painful so my plan was to ignore them.
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What was the most challenging thing about going natural?
I had Back labor the entire time. But my mom, husband and doula took turns pressing on my back and squeezing my hips every contraction for the 6 hours of hard labor. Including when I was in the bathtub! My team was amazing and although the pain was excruciating, I got through it because of them.
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What was the most helpful thing you did to prepare for childbirth?
My husband and I took an 8 week natural childbirth class. Having a weekly session about details of what to expect made the unknown known. I was able to go into my labor expecting certain feelings and having tools to cope.
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What surprised you about your birth?
I had absolutely no sense of time. I asked the nurses to not tell me how many centimeters dilated I was when they went to checks, not knowing how much longer it might be helped me concentrate on every contraction. I would tell myself just one more contraction and you could be pushing. I was able to stay in the zone and concentrate.
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What pain relief strategies worked best?
Hip squeezing was a life savor for me!
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What position did you end up delivering in?
On my back with one foot on my moms chest and one foot on my Doula’s chest. They helped press my legs back and gave me leverage to push into them.
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How did it feel to hold your baby for the first time?
The feeling when my baby was placed into my chest for the first time was the biggest rush and high. A moment of absolute awe. To finally see his face and feel his soft skin against mine made every contraction worth it and in that moment I would have labored 10 more times just to see him for the first time again.
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What advice can you give to other mamas who want to go natural?
Select your support team carefully! And imagine your labor. Try to think of things that will help you and things that might throw off your concentration. One thing that kept me centered and focused on the end goal was looking at my baby’s ultrasound picture every contraction. Focusing on his perfect little profile got me through the pain. I was able to remind myself that there was a reason I was going through this, and I was bringing life into the world
