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When did you realize you were really in labor?
Eating breakfast sitting on my Swiss ball at 8am on the 27th
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What was the most challenging thing about going natural?
I laboured for 24hours so for me it was finding the strength and energy after a 7/8 hour transition to work through breathing baby out instead of pushing (I only had to push eight times and he was born within 15 minutes of my initial push!)
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What was the most helpful thing you did to prepare for childbirth?
Researched coping mechanisms, watching youtube videos of natural birth, listening to natural birth stories and reading Ina May Gaskins books
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What surprised you about your birth?
That I actually did it!!! I had a fully natural home water birth with no interventions during my labour or delivery (except placenta). And I am so proud of myself for doing it, so empowering!
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Do it! You will not regret it, be strong and train your mind before hand. Our bodies are designed to give birth naturally, embrace the contractions it's a beautiful thing to look back on for me because my labour was amazing!
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What pain relief strategies worked best?
Water! The shower and the birthing pool.
Position, I spent all my time on my knees leaning forward on the couch, Swiss ball and all fours.
Also a positive mind really helped me, I treated each contraction as a positive thing that was bringing me one step closer to my baby
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What position did you end up delivering in?
On my knees in the birthing pool leaning on my partner who was out of the pool
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How did it feel to hold your baby for the first time?
He was an emergency clamp and cut requiring resuss which was extremely scary! We were not aware that was going to happen that way
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What advice can you give to other mamas who want to go natural?
Do it! You will not regret it, be strong and train your mind before hand. Our bodies are designed to give birth naturally, embrace the contractions it's a beautiful thing to look back on for me because my labour was amazing!