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When did you realize you were really in labor?
When my waters broke on Monday at 5.55. Little did I know that it would take until Thursdaynight 0.39 that I would have our son in my arms.
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What was the most challenging thing about going natural?
Keeping trust during pregnancy (I had a c-section with our first child) and during labor as it took a couple of days before my contractions really started after my waters broke.
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What was the most helpful thing you did to prepare for childbirth?
We looked for a midwife that was willing to go further than most midwifes in our country (and thank God we found one). She wanted to assist a home birth after our previous c-section. She was very helpful during pregnancy as well, as I was having a really hard time at work.
Further me and my husband read a lot of articles about HBAC to be sure about possible risks (really low) so me and my husband would trust completely that we could "do" a home birth.
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What surprised you about your birth?
I didn't expect it to take so long (almost 4 days) and feel so energetic the day our son was born (and the days after that). I thought I couldn't handle it at a certain point but my husband, our midwife and my mom got me through! I am so proud of this!
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Be informed, don't be afraid to go against advice, keep trust, trust your feelings and gather people around you that support you completely in the choices you make!
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What pain relief strategies worked best?
The tub we hired was really nice for one evening. The last evening the contractions really hurt, so I made noises like I was a horse and during the pushing phase I just screamed -a lot-. During the last part it was really nice to have a warm cloth on my vagina. It also helped prevent tearing as I didn't tear at all!
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What position did you end up delivering in?
I was on a special stool for a big part of the pushing phase when our midwife concluded that I needed some more space. So I ended up lying on the sofa in our living room on my side while my husband held up one leg. As it still took a while before our son was there my husband had a blue arm because of the holding up.
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How did it feel to hold your baby for the first time?
At the end it went faster than I expected so it felt surreal to hold our son. He was born at home! Such a beautiful baby on my belly. It felt fantastic! It was even more fantastic when our daughter (2,5) entered the room, was there while the cord was cut (after two hours) and she sang a song for him <3
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What advice can you give to other mamas who want to go natural?
Be informed, don't be afraid to go against advice, keep trust, trust your feelings and gather people around you that support you completely in the choices you make!