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When did you realize you were really in labor?
At 3 in the afternoon I went to the restroom and found a significant amount of blood. My OB told me to head to the hospital to have it checked out. After spending a few hours at the hospital they were unable to find where the bleeding had come from, but it seemed to have stopped and since i wasn't having contractions they sent me home. My husband dropped me off at my sisters about 10 pm since that was were our other two kids were sleeping. My husband headed home, an hour away. At 11pm I started having contractions. I thought they would go away once i went to bed, they did not. My sister brought in her birth ball for me to sit on while we timed contractions. At 12:30 pm we decided they were not going away so I called my husband to drive back to the hospital. My contractions were 5 minutes apart and getting stronger.
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What was the most challenging thing about going natural?
After three previous attempted home births and three emergency hospital transfers and three emergency C-sections we planned the C-section this time around. Thankfully i was able to find an OB who was willing to be flexible. We planned the C-section for 41 weeks instead of 39 since my previous pregnancies lasted 42 weeks. This new little guy had his own schedule and i went into labor at 40 weeks.
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What was the most helpful thing you did to prepare for childbirth?
Since we were planning a C-section, i did a lot of research on how to prepare my body to ensure healing. I took an iron supplement to help with bleeding during surgery and raw garlic to build my immune system.
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What surprised you about your birth?
I was surprised labor started so early. Since my other pregnancies were 42 weeks i did not expect to go into labor before my scheduled C-section. Even while timing my contractions I did not believe it was actual labor. It was my sister who convinced me to go back to the hospital.
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Just because you cannot give birth vaginally, doesn't mean it can't be natural. For some reason, this is how my babies need to be born. However, i was able to prepare my body and find doctors and a hospital to make the experience positive.
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What pain relief strategies worked best?
While waiting for the spinal and being prepped for the C-section i practiced the breathing techniques I used during previous labors. Unfortunately, since i was being prepped, i was not able to walk around. I did find it helpful to time my contractions, knowing when they were going to start and stop helped a lot.
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What position did you end up delivering in?
Since it was a C-section, i was on my back in the OR.
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How did it feel to hold your baby for the first time?
The hospital we chose was an hour from house, but the only one that could guarantee a gentle C-section and that the baby could stay with me 100% of the time. This was the first time i could watch my baby being born. He was put on my chest while the umbilical cord pumped. Delayed cord clamping was what i had wanted. This was also the only hospital to allow doulas in the OR. It was amazing to have the support of the doula in the OR. It was amazing to be able to see our son before he was taken to the incubator for an exam. It was also amazing to be able to watch the the exam. For my previous C-sections the incubator was on the other side if the room.
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What advice can you give to other mamas who want to go natural?
Just because you cannot give birth vaginally, doesn't mean it can't be natural. For some reason, this is how my babies need to be born. However, i was able to prepare my body and find doctors and a hospital to make the experience positive.
