-
When did you realize you were really in labor?
At 5 am, I woke up with cramps that felt very different from any of the little tweaks and sharp pains I'd had throughout my third trimester. By 7:30 am I was having contractions every 3-5 minutes, and I was absolutely sure I was in labor, there was no mistaking it.
-
What was the most challenging thing about going natural?
Definitely filtering out all of the fears about natural birth. We see so many images of birth being extremely painful and stressful from TV and movies, like the mom-to-be screaming bloody murder, or the dad-to-be fainting. Real natural birth is NOTHING like that, especially when you prepare yourself. For me - it was a life changing experience, and I'm so glad I went for it.
-
IMG_2427
-
What was the most helpful thing you did to prepare for childbirth?
Reading blogs and watching YouTube for all of the positive and negative stories about natural birth really helped me mentally prepare for all of the possible scenarios. Also taking my vitamins and eating clean helped a lot.
-
What surprised you about your birth?
I was surprised that although it was physically very difficult and tiresome, it really wasn't that painful. Also, I was surprised that all the preparation I did made it pretty quick as well, only 7 hours from onset of contractions to my son coming into the world. I would do it again in a heartbeat.
-
We see so many images of birth being extremely painful and stressful from TV and movies, like the mom-to-be screaming bloody murder, or the dad-to-be fainting. Real natural birth is NOTHING like that, especially when you prepare yourself. For me - it was a life changing experience, and I'm so glad I went for it.
-
What pain relief strategies worked best?
Hypnobabies was so tremendously helpful. I listened to it throughout my pregnancy and then in the car on the way to the birth center. It really works, I just automatically started visualizing when in labor and experienced very little pain.
-
What position did you end up delivering in?
After trying different positions in the birthing tub, what ended up feeling best was a reclined sitting position.
-
How did it feel to hold your baby for the first time?
It was amazing! I felt so calm and connected with him.
-
What advice can you give to other mamas who want to go natural?
Commit yourself, find a great place to do the delivery, and then really deal with any fear you have during your pregnancy, so that you go into the birth feeling as confident as possible.
