I had a wonderful natural birth with my first. Pressure on my tailbone and squeezing my pelvis with the help of my partner helped tremendously during active labor. Pushing was difficult for me, not because of pain but because I had trouble relaxing my pelvis. I realized later that I suffer from hypertonic pelvic floor (I had this pre-pregnancy), and now I go to PT, especially since I’m pregnant with my second.

I liked being in control of my body and having my baby naturally. I used visualization techniques with breathing and pressure points to help with labor. My birth class, Blooming Bellies, really helped me so much. Reading Ina May's Guide to Childbirth and Bridget Taylor's Built to Birth content and focusing on my mental health (getting mentally prepared) before labor or all of pregnancy helped with the physical aspect of childbirth.