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Video Interview With Amanda
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When did you realize you were really in labor?
As soon as I finished the strawberry milkshake with castor oil.
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What was the most challenging thing about going natural?
Feeling comfortable and creating a safe space.
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What was the most helpful thing you did to prepare for childbirth?
Hire a doula, read birth stories and hypnobirthing tracks.
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What surprised you about your birth?
It is the story of my fourth birth - a home birth on our farm. When my son was born he was still with no pulse, no heartbeat. A neighbor who is an off duty firefighter comes and the baby is transferred to hospital while I am left alone with the midwives in a bloody bathtub. Through a remarkable turn of events I learn that my son is alive and my husband has changed his name.
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Surround yourself with people who tell you that of course you can.
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What pain relief strategies worked best?
Hypnobirthing, squeezing blue comb, hot water in bathtub, changing positions, doula’s hip squeeze, mint on wet wash cloth, music, sunshine.
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How did it feel to hold your baby for the first time?
My son was born still and transferred to hospital - although I did have him on my chest right at birth it was immediate that my midwife observed he was not ok and he was removed asap and cpr started.
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What did you name your baby, and why?
He was named Theodore - however on the way to the hospital my husband changed his name. To Gideon. The name I had always wanted.
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What advice can you give to other mamas who want to go natural?
Surround yourself with people who tell you that of course you can.
