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When did you realize you were really in labor?
When the amniocentesis came back positive, my water had broken around midnight and I had random gushes of fluid until noon when I decided I should get checked because it seemed like more than discharge.
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What was the most challenging thing about going natural?
I wasn't able to go natural because after nearly 24 hours after my water broke my contractions never started. I was induce with cervadil.
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nennyBF
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What was the most helpful thing you did to prepare for childbirth?
Talk to my partner, and visualize how we wanted to deliver.
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What surprised you about your birth?
Back labor! No one warned me that I may only experience back contractions and how truly terrible they were.
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It's okay if things don't go the way you plan. As long as you and your baby make it out alive and healthy, you've succeeded.
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What pain relief strategies worked best?
Sitting backwards on the toilet. As weird as it sounds, it was the only way I could relieve the back contrations,
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What position did you end up delivering in?
I delivered in the "traditional" position in the end.
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How did it feel to hold your baby for the first time?
Terrifying, when my son was born he had the cord wrapped tightly around his neck twice. He was rushed away to be cared for and I didn't get to see him for the first hour of his life as he was resuscitated and weaned off supplemental oxygen. He was still pretty colorless and fragile looking when he was brought to me, and I didn't want to hurt him. It took a while for us to bond and feel the connection we have now.
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What advice can you give to other mamas who want to go natural?
It's okay if things don't go the way you plan. As long as you and your baby make it out alive and healthy, you've succeeded. Not everyone feels an instant bond, some moms and babies need time to get to know each other, especially after a traumatic birth. You do not have to feel guilty or like a bad mother.
