-
When did you realize you were really in labor?
I had false contractions off and on starting at 37 weeks so I didn’t believe it was the real deal until noon on my due date when I started noticing that they were a little more consistent than they had been before.
-
What was the most challenging thing about going natural?
One challenge was getting past that first “I don’t think I can do this” moment. After that, my mind was 100% on getting through the next contraction and I didn’t even consider getting help for my pain because my brain didn’t even have room to think of that. Another challenging thing happened after the fact. The reactions from others when they heard I had done it unmedicated were not always positive and I didn’t expect that.
-
What was the most helpful thing you did to prepare for childbirth?
Taking an online Lamaze class twice. It really informed us of and confirmed why we wanted to have the baby without medication.
-
What surprised you about your birth?
What surprised me the most was realizing that my body knew on its own how to relax through the contractions, and even through the pushing stage. I had expected to scream, grip the bed rails or my husband's hands, or panic and none of that happened!
-
It will ALL be worth it IF your mind and body are prepared.
-
What pain relief strategies worked best?
Oh by far a hot bath! I took a 30-minute bath at home which made my contractions slow down for a while but when I got out they ramped up! Also, the hospital we gave birth at had awesome jacuzzi tubs in some of the rooms which I definitely made use of! My husband did a lot of counter pressure on my hips which really helped and I did a LOT of walking around.
-
How did it feel to hold your baby for the first time?
It felt very surreal. Honestly, my first thought was: “I’m not pregnant anymore!” Pregnancy was rather nightmarish for me so I was so excited to have that baby OUT!
He felt so tiny and I just couldn’t believe I had a real live warm wiggling baby all of my very own.
-
What did you name your baby, and why?
We named him Quinn Jackson. The name came straight from God. We couldn’t think of ANYTHING for a boy's name that we liked and wasn’t already used so we prayed and it seemed to drop out of the sky!
-
What advice can you give to other mamas who want to go natural?
Do not go into it without preparing your body and mind and with only one reason: to say you did it. In my opinion, these are the most important things that you HAVE to have in your bag of tricks when it comes to unmedicated drug-free labor and delivery:
1. Know how to relax your muscles through pain. I can’t stress that enough.
2. Find out WHY. There are many reasons it’s better for you and your baby to go natural. Find them out. Make them YOUR reasons.
3. Our bodies are made for this. It’s absolutely amazing the way God made the perfect concoction of hormones and all kinds of stuff to enable our bodies to give birth without medication. It’s truly awe-inspiring. Look it up and read about it.
4. It will ALL be worth it IF your mind and body are prepared. If you go into it fighting the whole way it will not be worth it. Your body will be tense and you will fight the pain instead of working with the pain and you will scream and be very angry. If you’re prepared it can be calm through the intensity, and you will have warm fuzzy memories to look back on.