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When did you realize you were really in labor?
I was having Braxton Hicks for my entire third trimester. In the weeks leading up to delivery, they were becoming more frequent, but still not painful. I realized I was truly in labor when the contractions were so painful that I needed to moan to get through each one. I labored at home with my husband as long as possible and when we finally went into the hospital, I was already 8 cm dilated.
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What was the most challenging thing about going natural?
Well I have nothing to compare it to since this was my first baby! Probably the most challenging part for me was going through transition. I was so thankful I went through transition at home, instead of at the hospital, because I felt like there was no way I could go on without some sort of relief from the relentless contractions. Thankfully this feeling didn't last long though. When I got to the hospital in active labor, the anesthesiologist walked past me and said, "I'll be seeing you soon!" and me and my best friend both exclaimed "No you won't! We are doing this natural!" He replied "We'll see..." and that gave me the determination to see it though.
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What was the most helpful thing you did to prepare for childbirth?
I sat on an exercise ball at work from the moment I had a positive pregnancy test, which I really think prepared my body and helped to get my baby in the right position. I worked right up until the day before I delivered which kept my mind busy and my body active. My husband and I took the online classes together, and I felt like this helped prepare him to support me in exactly the way I needed. He was my rock through labor and delivery and always gave me exactly what I needed including back pressure in just the right spot, encouragement to make low noises through my contractions, and gentle reminders to the health care providers of what I wanted during labor and delivery. There is absolutely no way I could have done it without him.
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What surprised you about your birth?
How fast it was! As a first time mom, I expected the process to be much longer. I was only in labor for about 5 hours, and pushed for 32 minutes. When I started pushing, my midwife said early on "if you keep pushing like that, you'll meet your baby in a few minutes" and I though to myself "yeah right...she's just saying that to encourage me". The first thing I said after she came out was "what the heck just happened?!?". I was also surprised that everything went almost exactly according to plan. I had prepared myself for the unexpected, and surprisingly my experience was my absolute best-case labor and delivery scenario!
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This class helped prepare him to support me and helped him understand why I am so passionate about natural childbirth.
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What pain relief strategies worked best?
When I first starting having very painful contractions, I was trying not to make any noise, which caused my body to tense up. My husband encouraged me to moan in a low pitch with each contraction, like we had learned. His permission to make noise during labor caused my body to relax. Low moaning with each contraction combined with my husband giving me back pressure was the best pain relief.
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What position did you end up delivering in?
I delivered on my hands and knees on the bed. It felt so natural to push this way.
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How did it feel to hold your baby for the first time?
It felt unreal to hold her. Even though I watched her drop from my body, I couldn't believe she was mine. As an OB nurse, I have cared for thousands of fresh newborn babies and it was so hard to believe that this one was mine to keep. I was overwhelmed with a fierce love for her from the moment I had her warm, wet body in my arms.
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How did the Mama Natural Birth Class help you in your childbirth?
As an OB nurse, most of the information in the class was not new to me, but it was all new for my husband. This class helped prepare him to support me and helped him understand why I am so passionate about natural childbirth.
