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When did you realize you were really in labor?
I knew I was in true labor when my contractions. became too intense to sleep through for an entire night. I had about 6 weeks of prodromal labor starting and stopping (we were originally concerned she might come early!). My habit had become to ignore contractions and say, "We'll know it's really labor when the contractions just won't stop." Once we realized things were actually moving along, we let my midwives know. The beauty of planned home birth is that we didn't have to worry about knowing when to leave. I was able to let my labor flow and my midwives and birth team gradually showed up as they saw fit. It took pressure off of me to "know" so I was able to just be in the experience.
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What was the most challenging thing about going natural?
Transition was intense, but after I had my crisis of confidence I felt better. At the peak of an intense contraction I whimpered, "I can't. No that's not true. I can, I can." That's when I knew it was getting close to baby time. I remember thinking, "I just had my crisis of confidence... We must be getting somewhere!" Other than that, I did not let myself think about where I was in labor, because I didn't want to get discouraged.
My husband was an incredible support through the entire process. He spent the entire 26 hours of labor right with me, working through contractions and telling me he was amazed by me and proud of me.
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What was the most helpful thing you did to prepare for childbirth?
I educated myself, then I prayed until I felt assured that God planned to give me the birth I had asked for. Once labor was wasrolling, I had such perfect peace. I had a huge birth team (9 people including my husband) and I was able to enjoy their company and work through my contractions without feeling panicky. I just knew throughout my entire labor that God was going to give me what I had asked for and the only way out of the pain was through it. I recall being acutely aware that I was in the midst of the most beautiful and sacred thing I'd ever done.
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What surprised you about your birth?
I was surprised by how anchored I was through the whole thing. I kept waiting for myself to feel out-of-control and afraid, but I only had a few moments of that while my overall state was calm. I felt like things were unfolding in their own time. My mind was calm and my baby was calm (her heart rate didn't even fluctuate at the height of pushing. It was amazing!)
I was also surprised by how much I loved the pushing phase. I knew it could be a relief, but I had no idea I would really enjoy it. I only pushed for about an hour and was talking and cracking jokes between pushes. I was also surprised by how fast it went at the end - I had mentally prepared for hours of pushing and my baby basically popped out. I remember sitting up in the birthing pool between pushes and saying to my birth team, "I have never felt stronger in my life! Guys, this is so cool!"
11 minutes later my baby was out of my body. She was born directly into my husband's hands.
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It was overwhelming to finally have my daughter in my arms. It felt familiar and new all at once. I felt like I already knew her so well during my pregnancy; we had waited for such a long time to finally see and hold each other. It was beyond satisfying.
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What pain relief strategies worked best?
Early on in labor I got this idea to talk to my baby and my body during contractions. At first I felt silly, but it ended up being such an amazing tool during labor. I truly think the idea was a gift from God, because it completely overshadowed everything else by the end. I had so many external comfort measures and they *did* help. However, when I felt myself getting overwhelmed with a contraction the self-coaching was the pain back SO MUCH. Between that and praying aloud I had a lot of peace. I think I said, "Good baby!" about 200 times during my labor.
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What position did you end up delivering in?
I was reclined in the birth pool when my baby was born.
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How did it feel to hold your baby for the first time?
It was overwhelming to finally have my daughter in my arms. It felt familiar and new all at once. I felt like I already knew her so well during my pregnancy; we had waited for such a long time to finally see and hold each other. It was beyond satisfying.
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How did the Mama Natural Birth Class help you in your childbirth?
It served as an amazing reminder to trust my instincts and let birth happen. I especially benefited from the emphasis of resting during early labor!
