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When did you realize you were really in labor?
I had been having signs of early labor for a few days, but the morning of my daughter's birth I woke up feeling like all the signs had stopped. However, when I went to the bathroom I felt a pop followed by a gush. I believed it could have been my water breaking, but since I had been using the toilet at the same time l I wasn't completely sure. When I tried to lie back down in bed I felt more fluid gush out so I knew then that my water had actually broken. I wasn't feeling any contractions yet so I was worried everything would take awhile, but after about a hour I started having strong contractions about every five minutes.
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What was the most challenging thing about going natural?
Since this was my third experience of natural birth I basically knew what to expect, but when preparing for my first birth what was most challenging was finding support for a natural experience. I had family members even tell me I should just get an epidural because it was "better".
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What was the most helpful thing you did to prepare for childbirth?
Reading about other women's experiences and watching Youtube videos about home births.
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What surprised you about your birth?
This birth was my first home birth so I wasn't sure what to expect with it. I felt more in-tune with what was happening with my body. All the sensations were just more heightened. I felt very disconnected when I had had my hospital births, like it wasn't really happening to me. I was very quiet and went off of what I was told to do. So it very much surprised me that this time I made so much noise and felt very determined in what needed to happen to give birth to my daughter.
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Trust yourself and what it is that you really want. Make sure to find people that will fully support you and help you reach your goals for your birth.
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What pain relief strategies worked best?
Concentrating on my breathing and making sure I took nice deep breaths helped to bring me the most relief. It was also very helpful to get in warm water.
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What position did you end up delivering in?
I was slightly reclined in a seated position with my legs bent and kind of opened out.
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How did it feel to hold your baby for the first time?
Holding my daughter for the first time felt amazing! I had had some difficulty becoming pregnant with her and had some trouble during the pregnancy. Part of me had started to wonder if I would actually get my third little baby. So to actually have her in my arms was indescribable!
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What advice can you give to other mamas who want to go natural?
Trust yourself and what it is that you really want. Make sure to find people that will fully support you and help you reach your goals for your birth.
