Childbirth

[MooBoom]

Hi

I’ve posted this in chat to get a more universal network of support from you all!

I’m due to give birth any day now and I keep getting this sudden feeling of fear and dread over it. I know childbirth can be excruciatingly painful as I’ve already got children. I’m actually more terrified this time around as I KNOW what’s to come if that makes sense. I can’t stop being scared, I’m terrified.

From the moment of intense contractions to the crowning to the pushing itself and then the afterbirth pains and recovery. This is assuming I’ll have a vaginal birth.

If for any reason I have to have a CS then that’s a whole other worry.

Please give me some tips to simmer me down, comfort me, help me to make it easier? If that’s even possible?

Thanks all

Really? Nobody?

There are nice bits too though, the wonderful hormone rush when they are born and personally I loved gas and air. You are focusing on the negatives. It should easier for you too as you’ve already had kids.

Hi @MooBoom have you tried hypnobirthing? Im due to give birth to my second in a few weeks and had a very traumatic first birth. I recently had a birth debrief which helped massively and I am going to start hypnobirthing soon. I felt the same as you but I've recently read so many positive second birth stories that I am feeling a lot more chilled this time round! When are you due?

Imagine still being pregnant in two weeks/four weeks/2 months time!

My labours were fine and recovery time was minimal. If you’ve had difficult labours before then tell your midwife your fears and the best plans to make things more comfortable.

I didn’t want pain relief and didn’t need it but if it will make you calmer and less stressed than discuss the best options for you.

You should be focusing on the end result, a lovely baby and the experience shouldn’t be spoilt by you suffering with anxiety, so do speak up and get your fears allayed.

My grandmother used to stay the baby will come out anyway. She meant that whatever happens, you have to undergo child birth.
It sounds weird but this made me feel more calm, the inevitability of it.

I was worried before hand but calm in labour as a was just in the zone. I had also reached the point of being fed up of being pregnant.
I also think it’s worse when you know what is coming.

Take all the pain relief. I gave birth 3 times and found it all horrific. So now I tell everyone... early epidural.

Labour is traumatic even at the best of times, your feelings are completely valid.

It’s fine to spend some time thinking of the pain and uncomfort that is child Roth BUT also spend time thinking about the other stuff.. how incredibly fantastic everything feels for a few weeks after, a hormone bubble, the cuddling your new human that you spent 9m making, tiny little baby grows. Everyone swooning over your new baby and strangers stopping in the street to ask how you are.. nobody ever gave a shit before 😂.

Roth = birth

I spent most of my second pregnancy worrying about labour 🙈 when it came to it though I coped far better in early labour than fir time round because I knew what to expect. I guess I knew to take it easy, take pain relief early etc because I knew it was going to get worse and I didn't want to be exhausted at that point by the early low level pain.

I used a tens, was on a ball most of the time, had really load music on that I could just kind of lose myself in and also used golden thread breathing. The breathing was from my yoga class - basically just doing long controlled exhales where you imagine you're breathing out a golden thread; maybe sounds silly but I found it really helped focusing on that area just in front of my mouth where the "thread" was rather than focusing somewhere inside my body.

Thank you all, yes I know I should focus on the end result which is a little baby who I’ve been dying to meet to be honest. It’s just the journey I have to endure to get there, I’m so scared of the pains, they felt like death the last time - gas and air helped but I still felt like my vagina was literally ripping apart and my insides were going to come out 😵

There is no guarantee but subsequent labours tend to be easier.

My first was 51h (managed a natural delivery in the end, God knows how) but I was close to a forcep delivery.

My second was 4h from waters going to delivery. Went in at 6am and was home for lunch!!

Epidural Epidural Epidural.
Some people are venomously against them but you dont get a medal for giving birth without one!