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When did you realize you were really in labor?
I had been contracting for days...and eating dates...and drinking your "Labor Day tea"...and doing all the exercises to get baby into position...but when I went for a weekly visit, the baby had not even tried to decend into my pelvis. We did an ultrasound and the baby was measuring 10 pounds. My doctor recommended an elective c-section due to my small frame and the baby's size. I was crushed. But I wanted to baby to arrive safely so I agreed to it and everything went smoothly. They allowed me to do skin to skin immediately and delayed cord clamping.
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What was the most challenging thing about going natural?
I didn't get to go natural
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What was the most helpful thing you did to prepare for childbirth?
Telling myself that in the end, as long as we both survived and were healthy, it didn't matter how the baby arrived.
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What surprised you about your birth?
Having a section was a surprisingly difficult pill to swallow. Even more surprising was how gentle, smooth, and dare I say...pleasant it was. The doctors were wonderful, the room wasn't bustling and crazy, I held my baby immediately and the whole time they stitched me up, my husband held my hand, and our baby girl (we didn't know the gender beforehand) arrived into this world as beautiful and healthy as she could be.
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Do it!! But don't get hung up on the perfect birth experience or when things go differently (and they almost always do), you'll be too disappointed to truly enjoy the birth of your baby which is the most beautiful experience you'll have as a woman...so just roll with the punches...or contractions...and be empowered by your ability to bring life into the world!
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What pain relief strategies worked best?
NA
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What position did you end up delivering in?
C section
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How did it feel to hold your baby for the first time?
There are no words for the feeling. Amazing...incredible...peaceful...those don't even come close but it's the best I got!
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What advice can you give to other mamas who want to go natural?
Do it!! But don't get hung up on the perfect birth experience or when things go differently (and they almost always do), you'll be too disappointed to truly enjoy the birth of your baby which is the most beautiful experience you'll have as a woman...so just roll with the punches...or contractions...and be empowered by your ability to bring life into the world!
