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When did you realize you were really in labor?
I had just finished doing the dishes after dinner and my water broke while standing in the kitchen at 6:07 pm. I knew I was now in labor, however, I didn't have a contraction for another two and a half hours! My midwife came to the house at 7:30 PM, confirmed my water did indeed break and did a sweep getting me at a solid 2cm. 15 minutes after she left, at 8:45 PM, my first very intense contraction came and I knew my baby was coming soon-and she was here by 10:52 PM! : )
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What was the most challenging thing about going natural?
The pain, of course! My contractions came fast and furious, at one every three minutes to one every minute within an hour. I couldn't believe these were my first contractions, I immediately was in a place of not being able to think clearly or communicate. All I could focus on was staying in a hands and knees position and making any noise possible to get through the next one with no break in between. My husband also pushed all his weight on my lower back (as he was texting the midwife back and forth to get back over to our house!). I also found pushing to be extremely painful yet more relieving and I was able to be present in between the (6) pushes.
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Haley-Downing-PRINTS-4
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What was the most helpful thing you did to prepare for childbirth?
Trust God, first and foremost. So much prayer before and during childbirth! Next, I really believe resistance based workouts and hiking throughout my entire pregnancy kept my body in great shape to do what it did. I actually got more in shape during pregnancy than before! I also did all the little things like red raspberry leaf tea, dates, and spinning babies exercises daily.
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What surprised you about your birth?
Everything! I fully anticipated the type of birth I had been hearing most first time moms have-long! I did not think my water breaking would be my first symptom nor did I think I would have such intense contractions from the get go, only lasting two hours until her birth. And only 10 minutes of pushing!
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Trust God, first and foremost. So much prayer before and during childbirth!
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What pain relief strategies worked best?
Being on my hands and knees, my husband pushing on my back as hard as he could and breathing/yelling/moaning as loud as I could. The pain was so intense, I went down onto the carpet in between my kitchen table and living room couch with the first contraction and could not move from this spot for an hour and a half because I had to focus so hard. So I had no time or ability to use any other pain measures, or call my doula for that matter!
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What position did you end up delivering in?
Once my midwife arrived (20 minutes before she was born), my husband and midwife had to pick me up and put me on my back, feet away from where I labored the contractions. As soon as my back hit the ground my body involuntarily thrusted up and a huge pushing sensation came over me. I hesitated being on my back but the pushes were here-so I just went with it! So on my living room floor, next to the couch, I pushed our baby girl out on my back.
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How did it feel to hold your baby for the first time?
Absolutely surreal. I could not comprehend what just took place-and how it felt like moments ago was just another day being pregnant and now here I was crying and shaking with my slippery little baby on my chest making the most adorable cooing noises.
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How did the Mama Natural Birth Class help you in your childbirth?
I always had an innate desire to birth my babies at home. And this being my first baby, a planned home birth ending up almost unassisted, with excruciating pain, I had complete confidence we would make it through. There were moments I couldn't understand why labor was going the way it was or why I was bleeding after contractions but I knew without a doubt my baby was coming soon-despite the 'norm' or what my birth team may have questioned. My mother nature took over and I told my husband what to do to help me and that I needed the midwife to come-even if she didn't believe it was time. The education I learned in the birth course helped me to know it was time and that being on all fours was going to be my power stance-and it was!
