Anyone else freaked out about delivery??

[RLTMommy]

Yes, I was scared of the actual birth part. When it's time you have no choice--that really helps ! Also, by the end of my pregnancy, I was so huge and heartburny that I was ready.

[Jill_at_StorkRadio]

being afraid of birth makes a lot of sense. all i can say is that it was the MOST Pain i have ever experienced in my life and the hardest thing i have ever gone though but it was so worth it. i would do it all over again. i also have a new sense of pride in my body that i didn't have before - just in that it was able to heal so quickly after the ordeal. i also had back labor, the worst kind so lots of people have much easier experiences but the point is that it is hard, it is okay to be scared, but in the end i think you will have found it all totally worth it!

[redheadedtexan]

I am pregnant with our first and I am a little scared and alot nervous of giving birth. I am not due until January so I have some time to "prepare" for it. What I am and am not looking forward too is getting the epidural. I hate bees and people keep telling me "oh it's like a bee sting." well that just makes it worse. We shall see how things go.

[NoAdditives]

I got very nervous toward the end with my daughter. And then she was almost 2 weeks late and I had to be induced. My fear turned from vague labor worries to concerns of a c-section. It all worked out fine. I got an intrathecal in the nick of time, pushed three times and she was out. Yeah, I had an episiotomy, but none of it was that bad. While I can't say what a natural delivery is like, I came as close as possible before the anesthesiologist arrived with my shot. And the pain wasn't that bad. It wasn't painful like a cut or a broke bone, it was more like a muscle stretching. (If you're not flexible, sit on the floor and stretch out your legs. Lean forward and feel your hamstrings pulling a little. It feels like that.) There aren't as many pain receptors in your muscles and tissues internally, so it's a different kind of feeling.

[RachalAnn]

Ya its a freaky thing but i just keep picturing my labor being easy .... i know that it will hurt but i know the second i see my son it will all be worth it!

[Lindsey73]

Maybe birthing classes would help. I started to go but my pregnancy was complicated and I didn't feel well enough to go back after the first visit. But I got a nice book on labor, delivery, and postpartum that gave me a lot of insight.
My labor was intense once I hit four centimeters. I had an appt at the drs early in the day and when they hooked me up to the monitor my contractions started. I went home and slept for a while, and after I was up for a bit they came every ten minutes a few times then every two minutes! i was hyperventilatng cuz it was like being squeezed inside by an anaconda! I had to wait for a room too, but I got through it, and once I had the epidural the pain was totally gone. I didn't even hardly feel the shot, I was concentrating on not moving cuz I had a contraction while they did the epidural (my fear) , but the nurse helped me through it and the anastesiologist stopped until my contraction was over. I had pre-eclampsia too with a horrific headache, but once on the magnesium i was okay. And the pitocin kicked up the contractions again. But the pressure is intense, it's so hard not to push. I felt all the pressure even with the epidural. I had to hang on to the bedpost cuz my body beared down automatically.
I used the mirror too, and it helped motivate me to push. And keeping a little pressure down there even when I took a break helped him come out faster. I pushed for three hours, but only cuz magnesium slowed things down. I had the worst tearing possible-4th degree, and an episiotomy, and I felt them sew me up and it hurt some, but I was fine. Even the postpartum was mostly uncomfortable, only painful enough for ibuprofen, not the strong stuff.
Sorry just trying to give a lowdown...

[isagri]

well why dont you look into hypno birthing? thats what im going to do, and the whole reason i looked into it was because i saw a video of a woman doing it- and she wasnt screaming or anything... so im preparing myself!!!

[LMonkeyBad11]

Omg I am so scared to give birth I heard it does hurt pushing. I have always been careful. So I'm so scared of the pain and I'm also scared of the epideral.

[Stargazerranch]

Nothing helps against the fear of the unknown better than educating yourself. Start by watching "The Business of Being Born" and other positive birth videos and stories, e.g. "Birth Day".

Read some books that explain exactly what will happen, how your body is built for the birth process and what you can do to help it go smoothly.

If you're not educated about the process, you will completely at the whim of the doctors and nurses at the hospital. YOU need to be able to make the decisions for you and your baby.

Some great books even if you don't decide to go for a natural birth:
Birthing from within
Active Birth
The Birth Partner

Good luck overcoming your fears

[mum2mum]

No, I didn't really freak out. Thanks to the birthing course we attended beforehand. All we learn about watching out for signs of labor, labor positions, breathing techniques and so on we put into good use. The only regret was the hefty sum we paid for the course.

I only discovered that they are Online Birthing Course after I had my kids! The topics covered are just as wide and you can even take the course at your own pace. Find out more at http://www.mumsafari.com/for-mum-to-be. I think it is a good foundation especially for new parents!