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When did you realize you were really in labor?
I woke up Sunday 8 AM and of course the first thing I did when I woke up was to pee. I realized I lost my mucous plug which I was excited about I knew that meant labor was on its way, whether it was a few days or a week away, my body was doing what it was supposed to! Yay! I had a few minutes before having to get up and get ready for church so I laid back down and noticed I was having crampy back pain that was different from the normal back pain I would get after being on my feet too long. About 30 minutes later I started having mild contractions once every 8-10 minutes or so. After ruling out Braxton Hicks, I realized labor was starting and all I could hear was the advice in my head from the birthing class "REST MAMA REST!!!"
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What was the most challenging thing about going natural?
The most challenging thing for me personally about going natural was setting the bar too high for myself. Prior to labor, I had general plan in my head on how things would go and progress that I held with an open hand, I knew at any moment things could change and my an could be thrown out the window. I felt like God created my body to do this and I was going to do it and it would be that simple, well I was in for a treat! The most challenging thing for me was being frustrated with my body for not knowing what to do at times, I had a long 33 hour labor, and I was exhausted the last half of it.
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Myla
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What was the most helpful thing you did to prepare for childbirth?
Definitely taking the Mama Natural Birthing Class. It also helped prepare my husband, who did and amazing job of supporting me physically, spiritually, and emotionally but also coaching me through the different stages of labor. Having him prepared was equally as important of me knowing what was going on.
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What surprised you about your birth?
Even though birth is "natural" and our bodies were created for it, things can unfortunately still not go as planned because we don't live in a perfect world anymore. When sin came into the world God made childbirth painful, and it was that indeed. I had to trust and rely completely on God to get me through that labor, and He did. God has a plan for our lives, and that plan is not always how we want it to be, but it is ultimately for our good and His good, so I trusted it, despite things not turning out how I anticipated or hoped.
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The class reiterated important content that I was very familiar with but I definitely needed to hear it all again.
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What pain relief strategies worked best?
The tub and hot shower for sure. At 6 cm I had the urge to push so fighting that for 5 hours was painful and difficult, but I handled it best when I was in the tub. My cervix was bulging/swollen the entire labor because her head was so low from the beginning but my midwife just kept monitoring it, but it wasn't effectively dilating with my strong contractions. Muscling through that was just one contraction at a time and trying not worrying about the next one.
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What position did you end up delivering in?
Not the one I wanted to haha! But I alternated on my back and on my side and delivered her on my back.
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How did it feel to hold your baby for the first time?
Before my last big push my midwife told me to reach down and feel her head, which was amazing! Then with my last push, I kept my hands on her head and with the help of my midwife, pulled her out! Talk about the biggest feeling of relief! Wow! So how did it feel to hold her for the first time? THE BEST FEELING IN THE WORLD! The labor was done and I got to meet my precious baby! See her face, hear her cry, comfort her, wow! Praise God!
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How did the Mama Natural Birth Class help you in your childbirth?
The class reiterated important content that I was very familiar with but I definitely needed to hear it all again. The class eased my anxiety about my husband not knowing what was going on, I was confident in him being able to support me after the class. I also found all of the resources that come along with the class very helpful! The list to pack your bag, the exercises for my husband and I after each class, and reading through the affirmation cards. I have already recommended this class to all my pregger friends, not to mention you don't have to leave your home to watch!
