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When did you realize you were really in labor?
I woke up early Christmas morning (2AM) & went to the bathroom where I noticed a little blood. In my heart I knew, "Today is the day!". So I went back to bed and carried on like normal. I cleaned my house that morning & prepared Christmas lunch. The cramps were spread out throughout the day. I told my baby, "I made this lunch, so if you will just wait till I finish eating, you can come today." Hahahaha! Sure enough, after I put the last bite of food in my mouth, the contractions started. By 6PM, my contractions were 10 minutes apart and we left for the hospital. As I had previously been laying down, the walk to the car, bumpy ride, and walk to the Maternity Ward all caused my contractions to come every 3 minutes. With the help of my husband, I continued walking (although this was very difficult during the contractions). Just 40 minutes past midnight (and missing Christmas day) my daughter was born.
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What was the most challenging thing about going natural?
The hardest part about going natural was keeping the midwives at the hospital from giving me an episiotomy. Everything I had researched said that healing was much faster with a natural tear than with an episiotomy. My husband fought valiantly for my wishes & in the end I did have a first degree tear, but I was completely recovered before 2 weeks.
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What was the most helpful thing you did to prepare for childbirth?
Read! Read! Read! This was the most helpful thing in preparation. Just knowing the options, made such a difference. I ate 10 dates daily the last month, and bounced on my exercise ball every night from a week before my due date. I also did my Kegels regularly and made sure my consumption was excellent (drank tons of water & third trimester tea, as well as super healthy food).
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What surprised you about your birth?
I was surprised by how fast her birth went! I was only in active labor for 6 hours, and I swear I only had to push about 5-6 times before she came out! I did deliver at 41+1 weeks, and as I am a first time mom, this actually lined up with all the statistics I had read.
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For other moms who want to go natural, you really have to work long before hand to make a mental determination to follow through. There's no way I would have delivered naturally if I had thought on a fling, "Hey, let's give natural a try and see how it goes..." No way! It takes determination, and determination is fortified with as much research as possible! This will calm your nerves and steer you away from believing in the "Hollywood Version" of what birth is like.
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What pain relief strategies worked best?
As far as pain relief, I just kept remembering what I had read somewhere about seeing contractions like an ocean wave and just "ride" them through as they WILL come to an end. My husband REALLY helped me stay focused when the contractions were the absolute worst because I know I would have passed out without him getting right up in my face and talking to me to keep me focused.
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What position did you end up delivering in?
I ended up delivering on my back (as the hospital requires), but I could feel how much easier it was when they left me alone on my side.
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How did it feel to hold your baby for the first time?
When the last contraction came, I pushed with everything in me. However, the midwives thought I needed an episiotomy to get her out, so one of them walked away for the scissors. The midwife "between my legs" didn't think I was going to be able to push this baby out, so she was barely paying attention. When I pushed my daughter out, she just barely caught her & because of an improper hold she immediately scooped her onto my chest. Ha! The first thing I saw was my daughter's but and leg! I just kept thinking, "Wait, she's out? So fast!?! Why did the midwife give her to me 'butt-first'?" Hahahaha!
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What advice can you give to other mamas who want to go natural?
For other moms who want to go natural, you really have to work long before hand to make a mental determination to follow through. There's no way I would have delivered naturally if I had thought on a fling, "Hey, let's give natural a try and see how it goes..." No way! It takes determination, and determination is fortified with as much research as possible! This will calm your nerves and steer you away from believing in the "Hollywood Version" of what birth is like.
