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When did you realize you were really in labor?
My water broke while I was putting my daughter to bed. Contractions started soon after but were very manageable. It was still another 18 hours until the contractions started becoming more intense.
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What was the most challenging thing about going natural?
Hoping that my contractions would pick up pace and I would dilate enough to be admitted to the birth center (36 hours after my water broke was the limit before inductions would begin. Also, when transition began, I "didn't want to do it anymore," but at the point I knew I was close and there was no way I would ever make it from the birth center to the hospital for pain relief medication... Which is why I choose a birth center in the first place, to limit the possibility of drugs.
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What was the most helpful thing you did to prepare for childbirth?
I did a hypnobabies home study course which I did not use in active labor or delivery, but I believe it had a calming effect during my pregnancy and allowed me to stay the course and make the best decisions for my pregnancy and to plan a birth center birth.
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What surprised you about your birth?
I started experiencing the urge to push while in a birth tub, and it wasn't really an urge, as much a force of nature. There was no way I could've stopped it. At that point, the midwife hadn't checked my dilation yet, and while I didn't know it at the time, when she checked I was at 7cm, and roughly 20 minutes and many "pushing" contractions later, my son was born. I didn't know I could dilate so quickly!
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Having had two children, both of which I hoped to have natural births, I would say the best decision I made was to deliver in a birth center with a midwife.
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What pain relief strategies worked best?
The tub gave me a lot of relief for the first hour I was in it, but I was still experiencing some uncomfortable back labor. My midwife offered sterile water injections which helped immediately with the back pain, but made me aware of the contractions in my uterus instead. Earlier in my labor, pressure on my back helped a lot.
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What position did you end up delivering in?
I planned to deliver in the tub, but after about 20 minutes of pushing, my midwife and doula agreed that I should get out and try a different position. The intention was to get me to the bed to try pushing on all fours, but as soon as I stepped out of the tub, I grabbed onto my husband's shoulders and started pushing. My son was born a few minutes later while I was standing up. My husband said the midwife was checking for crowning and then immediately ripped open the birth kit, throw on gloves, and started guiding him out.
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How did it feel to hold your baby for the first time?
After I delivered him, someone put him in my arms, while I was still standing in the middle of the bathroom. I was a little hazy from the incredibly quick delivery, and all I knew was that I wanted to get into the bed with him. I walked over with the cord still attached to my baby and the placenta, which I hadn't yet delivered. Once I was in the bed I was able to look at my beautiful boy.
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What advice can you give to other mamas who want to go natural?
Having had two children, both of which I hoped to have natural births, I would say the best decision I made was to deliver in a birth center with a midwife. My first child was born in a hospital, and I ended up with many interventions and drugs. By having my second at a birth center, I was able to progress quicker since I felt safe and comfortable, and there was no epidural to be had when I reached transition and started to waver.
