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When did you realize you were really in labor?
I woke up at 4:30am on the seventh day after my estimated due date REALLY needing to use the bathroom. When I got back into bed, I felt the first real contraction. Since I'd given birth once before, I could feel that this was the kind of contraction that signified the process starting. I went back to bed and tried to sleep for a few more hours.
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What was the most challenging thing about going natural?
Pain management was different and more challenging with this birth. The contractions were slow and steady from the early morning until about 7pm, when they slowly got more intense. By the time I got the birth center at 9, they were very hard to breathe through. I started really doubted myself and my ability to get through it a few hours later. My first birth was about 40 hours, and the contractions built up more slowly and steadily, where this time, they jumped up in intensity very quickly.
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What was the most helpful thing you did to prepare for childbirth?
Making sure my husband and my sister, a trained doula, were with me! My sister was also my doula when my older daughter was born. They both did an amazing job of supporting me when I started to tell myself that I couldn't do it.
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What surprised you about your birth?
How fast it was! Laboring was long, but my water broke while I was on all fours on the floor of my birth center room, and I immediately started feeling like I HAD to push. In my first birth, I never truly felt the urge to push, but was coached to by my midwife because it was time. This time, the urge to push totally overtook me, and between the time I started screaming, "I have to push!" and the time my daughter was born was less than 10 minutes! It's the most primal feeling I've ever experienced.
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You can do it! Have a strong team supporting you, and do as much laboring at home as you can. Make sure you think through your plan ahead of time, but don't be too strict about it - flexibility is key!
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What pain relief strategies worked best?
Moaning through the contractions helped me the most in both of my labors. This time, I also sat on a birth ball in the shower. I also had counter-pressure from my husband when I had some back labor, though thankfully that didn't last too long.
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What position did you end up delivering in?
I ended up on my back on the hospital bed. I was totally surprised that I ended up there, but I definitely chose that in the moment on my own. I had been on all fours when my water broke, but the pain was harder to manage in that position.
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How did it feel to hold your baby for the first time?
There aren't really any words for that experience, are there? Especially with the intensity of pushing this time around, the sense of relief was amazing. I couldn't really believe what had happened!
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What advice can you give to other mamas who want to go natural?
You can do it! Have a strong team supporting you, and do as much laboring at home as you can. With my first birth, I think I went to the birth center far too early and it stalled the labor. This time, I stayed home until I couldn't walk through the contractions anymore. As much as possible, make sure you think through your plan ahead of time, but don't be too strict about it - flexibility is key!