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When did you realize you were really in labor?
About 20 minutes before she was born... I kept talking myself out of being in labor. Like "it's going to go away, I'm only a week over due". My labor with baby 3 was so different than my 2nd. 2nd birth was 2 1/2 hours total from waking up with contractions to baby being earth side. With baby 3, I woke up at literally the same exact time that I had with baby 2 but my labor was VERY different! Contractions didn't take off like they had with 2, so much so that I kept thinking my labor was stalled. But then I would have a monster contraction after 10 minutes of peace which made me change my mind pretty quickly and feel like I was in it for sure :). Looking back on it the moment when my mind realized "I'm in labor" was when I had a huge contraction while I was lying in bed trying to go back to sleep after being up for 2 hours with mild, erratic contractions. I totally thought that my labor had fizzled! I had been walking outside, contractions were not intense at all and so I thought "I should sleep". Laid down, almost fell asleep, looked at the clock and it had been 30 minutes since my last mild contraction. I was just about to get out of bed to go talk to my midwife who was at the house and tell her to go home for a while when BAMMO- contraction hit and she happened to be coming in to check on me at that exact moment (gotta love midwives!). That one contraction is what really made me feel like I was in labor.
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What was the most challenging thing about going natural?
My first birth was a hospital induction which lasted over 3 days and ended up with an epidural and all of my birth wishes being thrown out the window by my medical team. I'm a nurse anesthetist so I am well versed in the medical world and I know that by inducing me and doing all of the interventions that they ended up pressuring me into caused a lot more complications than were necessary. So for babies number 2 and 3, going natural didn't seem challenging at all! In fact, after my 2nd was born I honestly could say I labored the entire time, never feeling out of control, feeling safe and loved. Now after baby 3 I can still say those same things!!! I love natural home birth!
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What was the most helpful thing you did to prepare for childbirth?
Read Ina May Gaskin's book A Guide to Childbirth, visualize my ideal birth everyday before bed for the weeks leading up to the actual labor, do yoga and stay active while pregnant, chiropractic. It's also so important to let go of any stressors before you go into labor... a clean slate
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What surprised you about your birth?
How different number 3 was!! My contractions were very erratic and spaced out. So much so that my midwife and I were talking about getting me out of the birth tub since my labor had seemingly stalled. I asked her to check me while I was in the water, she said I was 8 cm and then I basically went into transition immediately and my sweet baby was born 15 minutes later!!!
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You can do it!!! Prepare yourself mentally and truly BELIEVE that you can do it and you will!
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What pain relief strategies worked best?
Water water water!!!! And breathing rhythmically with each contraction. As each contraction began I would remind myself that they don't last forever, that it would be 1-2 minutes till my next break.
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What position did you end up delivering in?
Hands and knees in the birth pool.
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How did it feel to hold your baby for the first time?
Instantly in love and so relieved that labor was over :)
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What advice can you give to other mamas who want to go natural?
You can do it!!! Prepare yourself mentally and truly BELIEVE that you can do it and you will! And surround yourself with good support people- a doula if you're having a hospital birth and awesome midwives if you're having a home birth.
