Cerebral palsy, aspirating meconium, stuck in birth canal

[handlemecarefully]

Got just under 4 weeks to go until due date (2nd baby). I am one of life's worriers I'll admit...but yesterday a new office colleague was telling me about his 7 year old son who was profoundly disabled with cerebral palsy at birth (due to hospital negligence). Then I read on another thread about how a baby recently died after aspirating on vomit, and how another baby (10lb) got stuck in birth canal and was born with an apgar of 1 and now has learning difficulties.

I'm getting very worried now. What if this happens to me?

hmc, these things are "news" and worth talking about precisely because they are unusual. The odds are very much in favour of you having a normal delivery with no problems at all, but "Woman has perfectly healthy baby, without too much bother" wouldn't make a good headline, would it?

Keep thinking of all the people who have had trouble free deliveries, and even those who have had problems and still have perfectly normal babies....

HMC, Hi. Well, no-one can say it won't happen to you, they just can't, not definitely. But I worried about everything throughout my last pregnancy: childbirth, death, pain, FAS - you name it, I worried about it. It woke me up at night (well that and needing a wee) and I'd wake dp and cry. What I only realised AFTER she was born was that actually, all that worry didn't make a blind bit of difference to the outcome, it just meant I was stressed throughout. Now, I couldn't see that at the time and I don't necessarily expect you to be able to either (!) but it really struck me afterwards that IT HADN'T MADE ANY DIFFERENCE! I don't know if this helps but actually, I wish I'd had this revelatory moment before I'd had her! I have to say that towards the end I stopped reading mumsnet threads that looked as if they might contain bad news, for this very reason - they sent me into panic. How was your first birth? That's a better indicator of how the next one will be than all the stories in the world. These last weeks are 'orrible aren't they? You have my sympathy.

It is normal at this stage of pregnancy (or any stage of pregnancy) to worry about these kind of things. As Tissy said, it is very rare and you don't get the headlines when birth is normal. Try not to focus on these types of stories but to relax and enjoy these last few weeks of relative freedom. Read that novel you have always wanted to, get that film out that you fancies. Focus on anything but birth

Perhaps you should look at Arabella2's thread - had a great birth

I agree with everyone else. The odds are in your favour that it will all go RIGHT. There are so many things regarding pg that are beyond our control, to worry about them all would send you insane.

If something goes wrong and you end up with a sn child, then you will be dreadfully upset, bewildered, angry, and every other emotion in between. But when you have grieved for the child you thought you were having, you still have a baby who loves it's mummy , and needs you, and I have no doubt, that you will love unconditionally. Harder work, but still your child.

Good luck x

Thanks,

I'm being silly aren't I - useful to get a reality check!