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When did you realize you were really in labor?
I knew I was in labor when my water broke early in the morning! My contractions started coming very fast, about 5 minutes from the get-go.
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What was the most challenging thing about going natural?
The most challenging thing about going natural was definitely the intensity. My labor ended up being very quick, only about 1.5 hours from my water breaking to when Twin A was born. The contractions were terrifyingly intense, especially in my back, but I knew that meant my babies would be here soon.
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Babies-Born
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What was the most helpful thing you did to prepare for childbirth?
Taking a childbirth education course for natural childbirth! I took the "Birthing from Within" course, which helped me not only learn physical coping techniques but emotional as well. I felt very confident and prepared when it came time for labor.
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What surprised you about your birth?
The intensity and speed of delivery surprised me the most. When I took the childbirth course, they gave me all kinds of techniques and coping mechanisms for hours and hours of labor. I understood the different stages and thought I had an idea at least of how they would feel. With my birth, I skipped pre-labor and went right for the end stages of active labor into transition within the first hour. That really threw me for a loop and shook my mental fortitude. I thought that I was in pre-labor with those intense contractions, and knew that I could not withstand that kind of pain for hours. When my babies came out in less than two hours, it made more sense. It also surprised me that my body was convulsing for a good while after I delivered, just from the shock of everything that it had gone through in such a short time.
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The key is finding a care team that believes in all you want for your birth. It is unbelievably hard, but with the right support, it is definitely achievable!
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What pain relief strategies worked best?
Low moaning! In the moment, you are so tempted to scream your brains out from the pain. Once I got down the low moaning from the depth of my belly, that really helped with getting through the intense transition and pushing stage.
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What position did you end up delivering in?
I delivered in the water on my back. This was the only position that felt remotely comfortable with back labor. The water was soothing and calming. In this back position, I was able to catch baby B!
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How did it feel to hold your baby for the first time?
It felt unreal to be holding two babies that had just come out of me. We were in the warm water and I had just caught baby B, then they handed baby A to me as well. I just sat there for a minute in shock, trying to understand all that had happened in the last two hours. Baby B was resting on my chest and Baby A had her eyes open. In that moment, I felt a burst of the most intense love and a wave of overwhelming exhaustion.
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What advice can you give to other mamas who want to go natural?
The key is finding a care team that believes in all you want for your birth. It is unbelievably hard, but with the right support, it is definitely achievable!
