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When did you realize you were really in labor?
Around 3:30-4am when my water broke
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What was the most challenging thing about going natural?
Definitely transition which was extremely challenging: at that time I couldn't concentrate on any of the coping methods I had learned which only made it harder to deal with the pain.
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What was the most helpful thing you did to prepare for childbirth?
Hire a doula and implicate my husband in the birthing classes we took which made him realize how important his support was for me.
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What surprised you about your birth?
No notion of time
How people say "you feel like you're gonna die" and you think they are exaggerating but it actually truly feel that way.
How just after it was over I was incapable of remembering what the pain felt like
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Have a great support team and make sure your medical team is supportive of natural birth : if my midwife had offered me an epidural rather than telling me I was doing a great job, my birth would have taken another path...
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What pain relief strategies worked best?
Breathing + sounds
My husband's touch and words
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What position did you end up delivering in?
Semi reclined/seated in the tub
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How did it feel to hold your baby for the first time?
I felt peaceful after having felt savage just a few minutes before
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What advice can you give to other mamas who want to go natural?
Have a great support team and make sure your medical team is supportive of natural birth : if my midwife had offered me an epidural rather than telling me I was doing a great job, my birth would have taken another path...