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When did you realize you were really in labor?
I had my first contraction at 2:00 pm the day prior to my birth. I delivered my daughter the following day at 3:30 pm.
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What was the most challenging thing about going natural?
The unexpected, and not knowing how long my labor would take.
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What was the most helpful thing you did to prepare for childbirth?
I did natural birth classes with a really great Doula! She helped my husband and I so much! I had a very awesome birth experience, even though it didn't all go as planned.
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What surprised you about your birth?
Everything! I expected the pain to be much worse than it actually was. You here some women say they felt like they were dying! I showed up at the Birth Center thinking they would tell me I was at 3cm or something, and I was an 8!
I focused on my breathing throughout my labor, and it truly helped with the pain.
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Commit to doing the stretches to encourage your baby to get into the best position possible. Do breathing exercises, and walk a lot.
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What pain relief strategies worked best?
Deep breathing. My husband timed every single contraction and he would count out loud, so I knew when I was about to peak in each contraction. I also labored in a tub for quite sometime.
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What position did you end up delivering in?
I birthed my daughter on a birthing stool.
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How did it feel to hold your baby for the first time?
It was a relief, and a little bit of a shock! She was much bigger than I imagined!
I was measuring 3 weeks small on my due date ( she was 5 days overdue) and everyone kept telling me she was going to be small, maybe 6 lbs. she was 7.14 and long!
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What advice can you give to other mamas who want to go natural?
Commit to doing the stretches to encourage your baby to get into the best position possible. Do breathing exercises, and walk a lot. Try to give clear directions to your partner or doula about what is helping you, and remember that every single contraction has an ending!
