How I did it: I gave birth to my little son, Jack, in our loungeroom in a pool. My
husband, my mum and midwife were there.  It was the most amazing,
incredible experience. 6 hour labor, plus 1 hour for the placenta. Very
smooth labor, very peaceful. So glad I did it this way.

Yes it was tough, and painful. For a while there I was just being
rocked from contraction to contraction, feeling like I was drowning in
the pain. But it really wasn't that traumatic. The first thing I said
afterwards(after a while of exclaiming over my baby of course!), was
"That really wasn't that bad!"

Now I feel like I don't ever have to be scared of labor again. I feel so proud of myself!

There are so many things no one tells you about, but. Weird sensations,
for example, when Jack's head was out, but his body was still inside,
he started twisting his head and body. It felt soooo weird. Apparently
I said, "Far out! There's a baby coming out of my butt!"

Lessons & tips:
*   Labor will end. and your body can do it. Don't be scared of it.
*  There is only a finite number of contractions- each one you deal
with is one less that you have left.  And the harder they get, the
closer you are to the end.
*  Labor isn't really hard all the way through- only when it's getting serious.
*   Labor isn't all contractions. Even in the thick of labor, there is
about 1 - 1 1/2 minutes of pain, then about 3-5 minutes of no pain. So
use the breaks to relax- enjoy them!
*  Don't think about all the hours of contractions ahead of you. Only
think about the next one. You only have to deal with them one at a
time.
*   Once it's over, it's over, and you have your baby!! and there is no pain anymore.

Resources: Lots of books, but mostly talking to other women, and most of all, my mum.

It especially helped that I'd seen my mum give birth to 5 kids....

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Nov 19, 2008, 07:41AM PST | 1 comment | 3 cheers