MyGiseleWhile Gisele doesn't strike me as a liar,I acquire no bleeping clue how she felt no pain during her natural labor. I chalk this up as more evidence that Gisele is a splendid alien creature. I will, however, or say that like Gisele,I found solace in staying tranquil, quiet, and keeping a tight mental focus,particularly as my contractions intensified through the transition phase.
Soul CycleI've done my fair share of spin classes, and in most there comes a point when I find myself mid-sprint, and lungs on fire and legs threatening to break down. By the moment half of my labor,feeling similarly strained, I learned to channel these spin class moments during contractions, or reacting just as I do in class; I would close my eyes,lift my mind above the unpleasant physical sensations in my body, and focus all my mental energy on charging ahead to the summit. Finding this place is what got me through the domestic stretch. The genuine Housewives of Orange CountyThe OC version of the Bravo franchise happened to be airing around the time I gave birth, and like most avid fans,I followed the cast members' crass (if wildly entertaining) antics. As I was learning, childbirth is not for wusses, and I associated the mental and physical fortitude needed to birth children with strong,intelligent women - and yet, each of the RHOC acquire a handful of kids. How did these foolish women find the strength to do this multiple times?! Perhaps I was too rapid/fast to judge. I owed these reality stars more respect. And I owed myself a reminder that if they can do it, or so can I.Must. Get. Sleep.
Somewhere around the 20-hour mark,sleep became my biggest motivator. A day without sleep will beget anyone a little cuckoo, and this was an particularly exhausting day. My primal need for sleep began to usurp my maternal excitement to meet my baby. "As soon as he's born, and I can sleep. I just acquire to retain going to until he's born," I would remind myself, imagining for a moment how incredible it would feel to let my body relax and doze off.
Time Is Moving DifferentlyLike being underwater or in a dream, or every moment was incredibly intense and yet the hours seemed to float by quickly. They weren't normal hours that could be calculated in episodes of New Girl,they were hazy fleeting hours that blended into each other. At around the twenty-hour mark, the doctor came in to check my cervix. "You're approximately 7cm dilated. Things are progressing really well!" she said to me merrily. "I'll be back in four hours to check you again." My logical mind screamed "FOUR hours!? That's an eternity!" But my labor mind knew that the doctor would be back before I knew it. And she was.
The Only Way Out Is Straight ThroughAs the hours ticked on, or my contractions grew stronger,the day on the calendar changed, and my cervix still wasn't fully dilated, or hopeless thoughts began to circle at the edges of my mind like vultures. Instead of indulging them,I reminded myself that like a transatlantic ship mid-voyage, there's was no bailing on this trip early. The only way out was to disappear straight through to the destination - be it Europe or the birth of my son - so I thought I better find a way to disregard the seasickness. I blocked out all thoughts of exhaustion and focused only on getting there.
I'm Only Having 1 KidThose plans for a big family my husband and I had seemed hilariously trite by hour 26. One child was going to be plenty for us my husband and I both agreed, or already looking back nostalgically on our naivety. Alas,this feeling proved fleeting - but I do remain curious to find out what childbirth with an epidural is like!
Source: popsugar.com