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When did you realize you were really in labor?
I was very excited to have a natural birth and was on track to have one until two weeks before my due date. It was a Saturday morning; I woke up early and took my dog for a nice long walk in the park. Afterward, my husband and I prepared for a nice day with friends and last baby shopping after my routine weekly appointment with my OBGYN. I arrived at the Dr.'s office feeling completely fine, but it turned out my blood pressure was quite high, I had protein in my urine and all indications of preeclampsia! I was utterly shocked and unprepared for the doctor to recommend inducing right then and there. I completely panicked and was terrified of the intensity that Pitocin would bring. However, after going home to shower, pack, speaking to our doula, who was incredibly calm and helpful in supporting me through the change in plans, I came back to the hospital calm and ready for labor to be induced. The doctors started with a very low dose of pitocin, very gradually increasing it, to the extent that I didn't even notice the contractions for a while! Definitely not the natural start I wanted, but I was happy to still get to go through the labor process and use some of the exercises and strategies I learned through the Mama Natural videos.
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What was the most challenging thing about going natural?
The most challenging aspect was certainly not being able to do it fully naturally due to developing preeclampsia . Physically the inducement was fine actually, and I was able to avoid any pain killers. The biggest challenge was certainly making the mental switch from expecting the natural process to being induced. It wasn't the birth I wanted, but it was still
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What was the most helpful thing you did to prepare for childbirth?
Watching the Mama Natural videos and hiring a doula. I was admittedly skeptical at first about how much I would like the online videos and platform but found them incredibly useful. The most useful aspects for me were the birth videos and the medical explanation of the process of birth as it really demystified the whole process for me and my husband. Hiring a doula was also incredibly useful, and although I wasn't able to have the natural birth I wanted, her support through the whole process was incredibly helpful. She made sure the doctors were listening to what I wanted, and when I ultimately had a c-section because my blood pressure continued to rise, she was there to support my husband, me, and ensured I was able to immediately have skin to skin contact with my son. She also stayed with us after the birth, visited us in the hospital a day later, and at our home to decompress and de-brief on the birth experience. It felt so good to have someone like that supporting us.
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What surprised you about your birth?
Not being able to have a natural birth. I assumed something would be different than I planned, but I was certainly not prepared for or imagined that I would develop preeclampsia, have to be induced, and ultimately have a c-section. During labor though, I was quite surprised that even with pitocin, it was gradual and would take many hours. I was happily surprised that although I was given pitocin, I still got to experience the process of labor.
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The classes really prepared us for the reality of what birth is, can be, and the options we actually have. I think there is a lot of misconception or images about the process from movies, or from horror stories from a few people we knew. Seeing all the real birth videos really helped prepare us for reality, and overcome some of my anxieties about the process early on. Learning about the actual biological process was also extremely helpful to really understand what will happen and why.
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What pain relief strategies worked best?
During my labor, walking around, moving, and squatting really helped.
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How did it feel to hold your baby for the first time?
It was surreal. I had to have a c-section in the end so I felt a bit disconnected at first (I assume because I was disconnected from the actual birthing process). Once I held him in our room and breastfed him, it was just incredible how small he was, and how much everything changed within a short period of time.
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What did you name your baby, and why?
Evan Thomas Williams. We had picked out a name earlier but didn't decide until about day 2 or 3. We liked the name we chose, but when we were getting to know our son, something didn't seem quite right about it. We revisited all our lists, tried out a few, and eventually found Evan. Ultimately, both names were names we personally liked and had some connection to our family as well. My husband is half Welsh, and it turns out that Evan Thomas Williams is a very Welsh name, so his family was very happy. Thomas is also my grandfather's name, so my family was also quite happy with the name.
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How did the Mama Natural Birth Class help you in your childbirth?
The classes really prepared us for the reality of what birth is, can be, and the options we actually have. I think there is a lot of misconception or images about the process from movies, or from horror stories from a few people we knew. Seeing all the real birth videos really helped prepare us for reality, and overcome some of my anxieties about the process early on. Learning about the actual biological process was also extremely helpful to really understand what will happen and why.
