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When did you realize you were really in labor?
I thought I had been having Braxton Hicks contractions all the previous day and into the night. I realized it was more than that when my water broke at 3:30 in the morning.
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What was the most challenging thing about going natural?
The pain was very intense, and it took every ounce of self-control to not go for the drugs (like I did with previous labors).
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What was the most helpful thing you did to prepare for childbirth?
I'm not sure what the most helpful thing was, but some things that were helpful are as follows:
Taking the Mama Natural birth class
Hiring a doula
Seeing a chiropractor
Drinking red raspberry leaf tea
Doing Spinning Babies exercises
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What surprised you about your birth?
How fast it went and that I didn't tear. My last labor was over 18 hours (this one was less than 8 hours from start to finish and less than 5 hours of active labor). I also had a second degree tear with my last labor. This labor, since I was unmedicated, I could push on my hands and knees, and I didn't tear at all!
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The pain vanished in an instant and it was suddenly all worth it. She was so beautiful and a wave of love swept over me! The sheer joy and bliss of holding my daughter far outweighed the pain of labor!
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What pain relief strategies worked best?
Recognizing that pain mean progress and that my feeling that I couldn't take it any more meant I was close to the end. (And I was!) When I said I couldn't take it anymore I was in transition and the baby came about half an hour later. I knew if I got an epidural, it would barely have time to take effect before it was all over.
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What position did you end up delivering in?
Hands and knees on the bed.
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How did it feel to hold your baby for the first time?
The pain vanished in an instant and it was suddenly all worth it. She was so beautiful and a wave of love swept over me! The sheer joy and bliss of holding my daughter far outweighed the pain of labor!
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How did the Mama Natural Birth Class help you in your childbirth?
The Scriptural birth affirmations helped me to overcome my fear of facing pain without medication and most of the things I did to prepare for childbirth (see above) were ideas I got from the class.
