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When did you realize you were really in labor?
I did not realize I was in labor until I was already in active labor with contractions occurring every 2-6minutes, intense enough that I could not talk through them or do anything but concentrate and breathe through them. This is because it was my first opportunity going into labor on my own, despite it being my third baby. I'd previously experienced prodromal labor, irregular contractions that seemed to go nowhere, and false labor starts so many times in the past with both this pregnancy and my previous, that I did not want to get my hopes up or look "silly" by telling people I was in true labor when I actually wasn't. In fact, I was already overdue by more than a week and had an induction scheduled the very next morning, just as I'd had an induction for my previous overdue baby. Thus, I was skeptical and let labor get intense before truly acknowledging this was it.
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What was the most challenging thing about going natural?
The most challenging part about laboring naturally occurred when we waited until literally the last minutes to leave home and make the long 45-minute turnpike commute to the hospital. I had to cope through transition and most of second stage labor in the car, clutching the hang bar located above the passenger side window for dear life. This was also the most challenging part for my husband, who had to remain calm while driving me, as I yelled out about the tough contractions! I actually found the natural contractions to be harder this time than I did when I went drug-free during my pitocin induction with my previous child's delivery! This is probably because active labor came on so hard and fast.
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What was the most helpful thing you did to prepare for childbirth?
The most helpful thing I did to prepare was to take a Bradley Method birth class with my husband during my previous pregnancy (baby #2). This course had significantly helped me to cope with pitocin-induced labor without relying on pain drugs, and to successfully have my first VBAC. For this pregnancy, I recalled what I had learned from my Bradley Method class about self-advocacy during pregnancy and labor, and how to get through labor.
Another helpful thing I did was to select a well reputed, natural birth-centered group of midwives who deliver at a hospital with very low c-section rates. These midwives enabled me to avoid unnecessary interventions or early inductions, allowing me to go past 41 weeks before scheduling an induction. If they had induced me even a single full day before my induction date, then I would have never gotten to experience going into labor on my own! Yes, I went into natural labor less than 24 hours before I was due at the hospital to be induced.
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What surprised you about your birth?
I was surprised to finally go into labor on my own, without hospital induction, less than a day before my scheduled induction date. I was also surprised at how fast and strong active labor occurred, and how quickly and easily I was able to push out my baby! With my first, I pushed for a total of 3 hours in two interrupted segments, unsuccessfully, before having a C-section; with my second, I pushed for 42 minutes before she was born vaginally; with this baby, I only pushed for 10 minutes with no tearing at all before he was born! Then again, I think part of the quick birth was due to the baby pushing himself downward in the birth canal during the long car ride to the hospital.
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It felt euphoric! I was so relieved to finally hold him since it'd been a long overdue pregnancy and a very long drive to the hospital through transition and the first part of stage 2 labor! I loved looking down at him and thanking my blessings for such a healthy, adorable "bonus baby" (#3).
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What pain relief strategies worked best?
The breathing exercises and different positions helped me to have some pain relief during contractions. Sitting in a warm bath helped too, a little too well. It also worked great to sit on the toilet wide legged and rock back and forth through the contractions while moaning low on each long breath's exhale.
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What position did you end up delivering in?
I delivered in the position I knew best from my first VBAC (second child's delivery): on my back on a bed, with legs bent and apart.
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How did it feel to hold your baby for the first time?
It felt euphoric! I was so relieved to finally hold him since it'd been a long overdue pregnancy and a very long drive to the hospital through transition and the first part of stage 2 labor! I loved looking down at him and thanking my blessings for such a healthy, adorable "bonus baby" (#3).
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What advice can you give to other mamas who want to go natural?
First, make sure you have a practitioner and hospital that are aligned with your birth plan. Make sure you trust and feel comfortable with your practitioner too. Try to use a midwife instead of a doctor if you're looking to go natural. Because midwives are unable to do surgery, they lack the financial motivation that some doctors, unfortunately, have to do unnecessary c-sections. I made the epic mistake of picking a condescending OBGYN with high C-section rates when I became pregnant with my first. I prioritized close proximity to home over having a practitioner who agreed to a natural birth plan. Consequently, I ended up with a non- urgent early induction, cascade of interventions, and avoidable unnecessary c-section and unnecessary all-night mother-baby separation the rest of that first night. I learned my lesson to switch providers when I pursued VBACs for my second and third children's births. Consequently, I had amazing pain drug-free VBACs to much bigger babies both times.
