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When did you realize you were really in labor?
At four in the morning, when I woke up with contractions.
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What was the most challenging thing about going natural?
Going against the tide of hospital prejudice among family and friends. In Italy, home births are not very common.
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What was the most helpful thing you did to prepare for childbirth?
Become determined to follow my instincts and not give into my own fears.
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What surprised you about your birth?
Though it was about an eight hour labor from start to finish, time distorted utterly and when it was done, it felt as if it had raced by in a flash.
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Trusting the process, and having my husband nearby was the most comforting thing.
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What pain relief strategies worked best?
Curiously enough, this wasn't relevant.
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What position did you end up delivering in?
My husband had suspended a rope from our beam in the bedroom, and I hung onto this, squatting, while he supported me from behind.
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How did it feel to hold your baby for the first time?
Breathtaking. I couldn't believe she was finally with us, it was just amazing. And my husband will never forget watching her reach for me with her first cry and gesture. All her energy was focused into finding her way into my arms, as if we were always meant to meet in this wondrous, intense way, a perfect fit.
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What advice can you give to other mamas who want to go natural?
Know that fear is the enemy of childbirth, so whatever eases one's fear is the road to success. For some this will be going to the hospital, for others, staying at home. Childbirth had been my number one terror since childhood, and I surprised myself by wanting to give birth at home at the age of 43. However, I wouldn't let anyone else's fears exacerbate my own, and ultimately knew that no one's fears for me or my baby would be greater than my own for myself and my baby, so I could trust myself all the way.