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When did you realize you were really in labor?
I woke up on January 28th feeling very “crampy”. I was moving slower, felt heavier and everything just felt different - although it’s hard to put into words. I was already 2 days past my due date and my OB was giving me a week before induction was scheduled. I told my husband I wanted to get this show on the road because I knew that one intervention usually leads to another. We ran some errands and then went to a park and walked for over an hour! While I was there, I felt like my Braxton Hicks contractions intensified. Wanting to push the envelope further, we decided to go out for Indian food for dinner at 5 pm. At around 8 pm, I started timing what felt to me like extremely intensified menstrual cramps. They were already coming no more than 10 minutes apart. My husband was very anxious and kept asking me if I thought I was in labor to which I replied, “I’m not sure”. But, as time went on these contractions kept getting closer together and more intense. We decided to go to the hospital at around 12:30 am when my contractions were around 3-4 minutes apart and lasting for about a minute on average. We followed the 4-1-1!
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What was the most challenging thing about going natural?
Since I decided to go with a hospital birth, I would say the most challenging thing was dealing with hospital procedure while laboring. I brought my birthing ball, my diffuser, my tennis ball massages, and my room had a shower with a removable shower head. My OB agreed to let my have a hep lock and do intermittent monitoring. However, the intermittent monitoring was every 20 minutes on the hour. I would just assume a comfortable outside position, get into a rhythm and then BAM... have to get back on the bed for monitoring. The pain got to be so bad that I ended up just staying on the bed because it was too uncomfortable for me to keep moving around.
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What was the most helpful thing you did to prepare for childbirth?
Definitely watching the Mama Natural Birth Course and watching videos of other women going through childbirth. For me, knowledge is definitely powerful and I knew what to expect while I was in the hospital - no surprises. I also read outside childbirth books and listened to affirmations before and a little during birth. I also wrote out my whys and around 6 cm, I remember thinking, “why am I doing this to myself?”. But, I am very proud to say I never even asked for an epidural! I just kept referring back to my whys and I had already made it so far! I wasn’t about to have gone through all of it for nothing.
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What surprised you about your birth?
The afterwards and how sore I would be! My mother had a natural birth and had always talked about the very next day she was sitting Indian style on the ground playing with me. Ha! I was so sore for about 5 days... I worked out muscles I didn’t even know I had. And the sleep deprivation from having a newborn definitely didn’t help with recovery!
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Knowledge and power. I always feel much more in control when I know exactly what’s going on and what types of questions to ask in regards to my own medical care and plan!
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What pain relief strategies worked best?
I made my husband do counter pressure! A lot of counter pressure! I also got VERY loud during a contraction but would be sure to only make low tones.
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How did it feel to hold your baby for the first time?
Surreal... I think it took about a week to really sink in that he was here and we were parents!
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What did you name your baby, and why?
Noah. I have always loved that name. My husband and I agreed on it 9 years prior when we were dating. He says that the reason he loves it so much is that he is going to be sure that Noah is a great man... even if he is the last great man on earth!
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How did the Mama Natural Birth Class help you in your childbirth?
Knowledge and power. I always feel much more in control when I know exactly what’s going on and what types of questions to ask in regards to my own medical care and plan!
