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When did you realize you were really in labor?
When my water broke! I thought for sure I still had a few days and I had spent the morning getting a few things done and taking a nap. After I woke up, I was watching some tv on the couch when I felt the strangest sensation of water pouring out of me. All of a sudden, that theoretical game plan I had created with my husband and my doula was in play. It definitely took my mind off of the contractions which were getting much more intense.
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What was the most challenging thing about going natural?
Navigating hospital birth where the default can be medicalized birth can be tricky. Even though my local hospital has an awesome midwives practice and I was thrilled with my prenatal care, I was nervous about how much would be out of my hands once that hospital bracelet was on my wrist.
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Sawyers-Birth-21
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What was the most helpful thing you did to prepare for childbirth?
In order to make sure that I had a birth team that would help me navigate natural hospital birth, my husband and I took the Mama Natural Birth course and we hired an incredible doula. She is also a prenatal yoga teacher so I was able to check in with her at yoga every week, discuss my fears and what I as doing to prepare. My hospital bag was full of essential oils, homeopathic remedies, Mama Natural affirmation cards and an awesome playlist so that I had lots of options for coping mechanisms.
At the very end of my pregnancy, the Cleveland Clinic opened a new natural birth center where I had access to a birthing tub, birth ball, nitrous oxide and self-selected staff all of whom are committed to natural birth. At 40 weeks and two days, I met with the midwife in charge of the new birth center and created a whole new birth day plan to get to the other side of town to deliver. After I delivered, the midwife in charge of the birth center told my doula that she thought I would have ended up with a C-section if I had delivered anywhere else. I am so glad that I had learned enough throughout my pregnancy to equip myself to make that choice!
Having a doula can seem unnecessary, especially when you've got awesome midwives or a fantastic birth center. Mine was a perfect complement during labor to the rest of the committed to natural birth team. She was invaluable after Sawyer was born when I left the delivery room to get stitched up in the OR. No one in that room had any idea that I wanted to nurse as soon as possible so I was offered some very strong narcotics. Without her there to help me consider my options, I wouldn't have been walking around and nursing my baby within a few hours of delivery and may have even had amnesia.
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What surprised you about your birth?
How hard labor would be, regardless of how much I had prepared. By hour 24, it didn't matter that I had lavender towelettes in my labor bag. I was covered in vomit and could have cared less when my doula asked me if I wanted to get cleaned up. My perfectly orchestrated playlists were going unheard as I paced and tried to convince my baby to make his way out into the world. I just wanted to meet Sawyer and was so over being in labor. It took another six hours and a vacuum-assist to finally get him out. All those little details that I had obsessed over were wonderful to have in recovery though!
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As a pretty crunchy, natural person who has been reading Mama Natural for a long time, there was a lot of birth info that I had already absorbed so I had questioned whether or not I even needed to do any sort of birth education.
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What pain relief strategies worked best?
The nitrous oxide was incredible. It was just enough of a reprieve to keep me going. Hip circles and counter pressure while breathing in the nitrous would get me in a zone to let me ride through contractions. Being able to try different positions and move instinctually was also really helpful.
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What position did you end up delivering in?
I started vomiting after a few hours in labor so by 24 hours, I was pretty dehydrated and exhausted. In order to get an IV, I had to leave the birth center floor and go down to labor & delivery. I refused help putting shoes on and practically ran downstairs, U just wanted him out! After 6 more hours, Sawyer's heart rate was dropping and they wanted to expedite the process. I ended up on my back so that they could use the vacuum to help get him out.
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How did it feel to hold your baby for the first time?
It was incredible. They took him away for a moment and I was so afraid that something was wrong. When they brought him right back to me, the relief and love was unreal. He was so squirmy and alert and latched on to my breast within a few minutes.
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How did the Mama Natural Birth Class help you in your childbirth?
As a pretty crunchy, natural person who has been reading Mama Natural for a long time, there was a lot of birth info that I had already absorbed so I had questioned whether or not I even needed to do any sort of birth education. But I decided to do the course because I wanted a refresher and wanted to make sure that my husband was informed. Every Sunday night, we would sit down to do a session of the class together. Having him on the same page and educated about what was happening with my pregnancy, how labor would work and why I was making my choices was invaluable. He knew how to answer once I was in labor land and not capable of answering questions. We really were a team going into labor and I was so grateful that the course equipped him for the work!
