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When did you realize you were really in labor?
My body does a lot of the work of labor without my knowing it. This birth was no different. I did not know when I went to bed that night what was happening, but a few short hours later I woke up from a dead sleep already in transition.
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What was the most challenging thing about going natural?
I've had 5 natural births now, and honestly the hardest part for me is overcoming the fear of tearing and needing stitches. I have torn significantly with 4 babies and I feel every stitch every time because I metabolize lidocaine very quickly. It hurts!
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What was the most helpful thing you did to prepare for childbirth?
Chiropractic care all along the way! What hurts can be relieved, baby can be helped into proper position, and having your pelvis properly aligned can make labor faster and easier.
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What surprised you about your birth?
How quickly it happened and how incredibly amazing it was to have it happen with just by husband and I there.
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Believe you can do it, and don't listen to the naysayers about how hard it is or how painful it is. It only hurts to the degree that you fear it. There is a secret in our culture and it's not that birth is painful. It's that women are strong!
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What pain relief strategies worked best?
Breathing, dancing and hip counter pressure.
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What position did you end up delivering in?
On my knees in a tub.
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How did it feel to hold your baby for the first time?
Awesome! Couldn't believe she was here so quickly and that I caught her myself.
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What advice can you give to other mamas who want to go natural?
Believe you can do it, and don't listen to the naysayers about how hard it is or how painful it is. It only hurts to the degree that you fear it. There is a secret in our culture and it's not that birth is painful. It's that women are strong!
