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When did you realize you were really in labor?
I was packaging fish with my husband one night. I was 38 weeks and having hard contractions but thought they were just intense Braxton Hicks. My husband kept encouraging me to breathe through them, I remember leaning on the vacuum sealer to close up a package of fish as I breathed through hard contractions. After 2 hours of this with no let up and the contractions getting stronger and closer together we decided to go to the hospital.that was around midnight.
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What was the most challenging thing about going natural?
The pain! Not to scare anyone away from natural birth, but for me, the pain was so bad I thought I was dying haha
Especially during transition. I would black out in between contractions only to wake up screaming again. Luckily, my transition only lasted about 40 minutes and there was never really an announcement it was time to push as I had one really awful contraction that seemed to just squeeze her out all on its own. She shot out like a rocket and bounced off of my sister in law who luckily caught her!
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What was the most helpful thing you did to prepare for childbirth?
I kept a really positive attitude about labor the whole time I was pregnant. I always told everyone that I wasn't afraid, in fact, I was super excited!
Excitement helped me deal with the pain and also my husband brought a lot of humor to the situation which, during early labor, really helped me not freak myself out and start feeling scared.
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What surprised you about your birth?
How quickly my daughter came out!
I expected to push for at least a little while but I was pretty amazed by your bodies ability to just take over. It really was something I had zero control over.
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Our bodies can do amazing things.
Just trust that this is what we were made for and your body knows what to do even if you feel like you don't. You got this!
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What pain relief strategies worked best?
Breathing helped before transition set in.
During transition nothing helped haha
But my sister in law put a cool cloth on my forehead and kept saying gentle consoling things to me through each contraction. It helped at least put my mind in a good place.
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What position did you end up delivering in?
The typical "on your back" position. Oddly enough I had tried rolling into my knees and sides shortly before she came but on my back felt best.
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How did it feel to hold your baby for the first time?
It was surreal.
I was in some crazy haze where I almost couldn't comprehend what had just happened. She was SO perfect. I held her for a minute but for some reason my pain did not subside when she was born and I was shaking too hard and afraid I'd drop her so my husband took her. I did wind up having to have pain meds after her birth due to some kind if after pain that wouldn't go away. Once I had some medicine I could snap back to reality and I was completely obsessed with my little Elly-Lynne!
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What advice can you give to other mamas who want to go natural?
Our bodies can do amazing things.
Just trust that this is what we were made for and your body knows what to do even if you feel like you don't. You got this!