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When did you realize you were really in labor?
Just after midnight, I woke up to contractions. They were about 10 minutes apart and not too painful. I tried to sleep through them, but they were just uncomfortable. I ended up taking a shower to get ready in case we needed to head to the hospital soon. By the end of the shower, the contractions seemed to fizzle out. When my other kids woke up, we went for a walk and the contractions picked up and got closer together. By 11:30 a.m., my husband came home from work and we headed to the hospital. They checked me and I was 6 cm dilated so they admitted me.
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What was the most challenging thing about going natural?
I loved everything about going natural. I was able to walk, roll on the pregnancy ball, and be in any position I felt like would help at the moment. Everything actually went really well and wasn't too challenging until it came time to deliver my placenta. My labor and delivery went great...pushing my baby out was just amazing and I felt like I could run a marathon as soon as she was out! However, once the doctor said we needed to get the placenta out, things turned a corner for the worst. It just was not coming out so they prepped me for a D&C. During the D&C, I severely hemorrhaged and in order to save my life they had to take my uterus out. I found out later I had placenta increta. It was all completely unexpected and traumatic.
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What was the most helpful thing you did to prepare for childbirth?
The most helpful thing I did was reading lots of stories on mama natural, listening to stories on The Birth Story podcasts, and watching several all natural deliveries on youtube.
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What surprised you about your birth?
I was mostly surprised by how well I was able to handle the contractions, even when I was 9-10 cm dilated! I was able to pray and breath through them and never once thought I couldn't do it any longer. With my last birth being a long one, I was surprised at how fast it went this time going naturally. It was an amazing experience and I wish I could experience it again!
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If I can do this, anyone can do this! Believe in yourself and know there is an end in sight. It's an amazing feeling!
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What pain relief strategies worked best?
Bouncing and rolling on the pregnancy ball helped me the most. Also, reading birth affirmations!
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What position did you end up delivering in?
I was on the bed in the birth position.
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How did it feel to hold your baby for the first time?
Incredible! I felt so amazing and was just so proud of myself and how the whole birth went!
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What advice can you give to other mamas who want to go natural?
If I can do this, anyone can do this! Believe in yourself and know there is an end in sight. It's an amazing feeling!