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When did you realize you were really in labor?
I woke up around 4:45 in the morning to go to the bathroom. When I went to lie back down, I realized my contraction were coming pretty regularly. I went and took a shower to see if I could get them to stop, but they continued to keep coming about 5-6 minutes apart.
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What was the most challenging thing about going natural?
The hardest part for me was the intensity of my contractions as it came closer to delivery time. Also, the natural/home birth went so much quicker than my drug/hospital births with my first 2 children.
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What was the most helpful thing you did to prepare for childbirth?
The best thing I did was to read other stories and talk to other people about natural births. I just kept telling myself that I could do this and my body was made to do this.
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What surprised you about your birth?
The biggest surprise was how quickly everything went. I was only in labor for around 2 1/2 hours.
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The best thing I did was to read other stories and talk to other people about natural births. I just kept telling myself that I could do this and my body was made to do this.
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What pain relief strategies worked best?
Standing up and walking or hunching over in the doorway helped get through my contractions. I tried the water but I think everything was happening too quickly for me to use it for relief.
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What position did you end up delivering in?
I ended up squatting in the bathtub to deliver my baby.
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How did it feel to hold your baby for the first time?
I felt empowered when I held my baby for the first time. I had almost forgotten to check the gender of my baby. But after I got the cord from around my baby's neck, my husband called the midwife to let her know our son had beat her. She arrived 8 minutes later. I felt amazing that my husband and I could bring my child into this world without the aid of any medical professionals.
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What advice can you give to other mamas who want to go natural?
You CAN do this. I am the biggest scaredy cat and if I can do this, anyone can. Recovery time is so much easier without having any drugs in your system. I was feeling amazing the next day and felt completely back to normal in under a week.
