I'm TERRIFIED of giving birth as so squeamish

[Xanadu44]

Hi there I'm 34 weeks pregnant and I'm insanely squeamish. Like faint at the sight of blood squeamish. I also fainted at every sex ed video I have ever seen at school when they showed a womb. The word then made me feel woozy.
I know this may seem ridiculous as it's got to come out but I am really really petrified of fainting whilst giving birth and this hurting the baby somehow....has anyone heard of this happening or am I just being mental?? I am so so worried about this and people just keep trying to speak to me about giving birth or joking about it with me and I just want to punch them in the face. I really am concerned and just wanted to know f there was anyone else out there who felt this way or did feel this way and did give birth?? I think I'm kind of looking for some other fainter s who maybe fainted and didn't hurt the baby!!! Thank you!! Xx p.s I have my antenatal class in two weeks and I am also petrified of fainting in that too!!!!

If it helps I have had four birth children and I really didn't find any of the labours particularly messy.
I would have known with the last two because I had them at home so dealt with the aftermath myself.

I think it really helps to be up front and clear with your midwives when you go into labour. 'I am really worried I will faint and hurt my baby'. 'I am worried because I am so squeamish'

Get it out there. You will feel better 'handing it over' to them. They will reassure you and keep an eye on you.

I've fainted many times at the sight of blood but in labour it didn't even spring to mind. You are so distracted by contractions. I had gas and air and pethidine which I would recommend as this will relax you. Then afterwards it's just like a heavy period. Good luck!

Fainting wise I found pregnancy blood tests much harder. And did nearly faint once.

I managed to get through a major pph without seeing any blood, I was laying down and it all happened out of my sight - dh was traumatised as he could see but I can only remember the feelings. I don't like the sight of blood, it makes me shudder and panic but not faint, yunshould takk to your midwife again until they take you seriously

I fainted several times whilst having dd2 (I have low blood pressure and had a reaction to the epidural) aside from the bizarre-ness of coming round mid-birth, it was fine and dd2 was fine.

3 births (2 vaginal 1 elcs) and I don't remember seeing anything.

With dd1, the midwife offered me a mirror to see what was going on, and I just said, 'you have got to be kidding!'

Talk to them about your worries, write it in your plan and make sure your birth partner is clear about your fears and supports you

This might make you laugh... I was booked for a home birth with ds1. My sister was planning on being around but she is a fainter and terrible with blood, so she said I'll be in the kitchen making tea and toast during the gorey bit-when it gets to that stage and I just disappear you'll know why.

I was totally fine with that, just happy to have someone on tea and toast duty. Anyway, the 'gorey' bit comes and I look up, expecting to see my dsis hot footing it into the kitchen and what did I see instead? She was right between my legs with a fucking video recorder!! She filmed the whole thing! Not a drop of tea or a crumb of toast in sight!

When I asked her about it afterwards, she said I totally forgot about the blood and there wasn't actually that much but it was so flipping amazing I had to record it because you couldn't see what your body was doing and your body was doing the most amazing thing I have ever seen! She didn't faint, or even feel the slightest bit woozy, just totally euphoric at what she was seeing. And we had not discussed anyone filming it-I didn't even know we had a camcorder thing!

It hasn't 'cured' her-she is still a fainter and terrible with blood, but that night she was absolutely fine! Still makes us giggle now, 12 years later!

Good luck OP

Just to add to what others have said... Two births and didn't see/notice blood during it. With the second none at all even after. I was in the zone and nothing outside my gas and air tube in my hands and the feel of getting baby born registered a whole lot.

Thank you so much everyone, I cannot tell you how much more at ease I feel now I've heard all this. You really are the greatest! Thank you so much! Xx

Really pleased to hear that OP. Let us know how you get on

I don't remember really seeing anything in either of my dc's births. I'm pretty squeamish too, but the midwives took care of everything and from where my angle there was nothing nasty to see!

If you should end up requiring a c-section, that is amazingly gore-free from the mum's pov. Obviously there is a sheet in place during the op, but they clean you up so well afterwards while you are still numb that there wasn't a trace of anything anywhere, not even the stuff they use to disinfect you beforehand. The most blood I saw was on the maternity pad afterwards and that was no worse than period stains. Even the scar wasn't gory.

Wow you sound like me, we are exactly the same.... I fainted in the birthing sex ed video at school, I have fainted listening to birth stories before and countless other times that involve me thinking of pain. I expected to faint but weirdly it didn't bother me or worry me before the birth, but fainting doesn't bother me. I have 2children now, pregnant with #3.... But only fainted on my first birth. I was projectile vomiting (tmi) another great problem I have when faced with pain and then just passed out between one of my contractions. The midwife was totally calm (according to husband) she quickly tilted the bed down to get me to come back round and then just waited till I came back round and then did all her checks on me and baby again to double check all was ok. Both baby and me were fine. Then after that I never passed out since!!! So I guess the thought is worse than the reality.

Wow! These are literally EXACTLY what I needed to hear! Thank you so much everyone!! And well done to you all for giving birth like champions!!! I'm obviously not too excited about labour but am dreading it a hell of a lot less now and it's all down to you. Thank you very much!! Xx

Op, until you be been in labour, you won't understand. But. Honestly, I swear, I promise. EVERYTHING you ever thought you knew goes out the window.

I'm a fainter. Not fussed by blood, but come near me with a needle or tube and I'm gone. Flat out.

I've managed 3 births, one missed miscarriage, a stay in SCBU and didn't faint once.

You get swept up in the moment and sort of forget the details, iyswim? It hurts, more than you can imagine, but I sort of zoned out and almost went limp and just let my body do it.

Until the pushing stage. I'm legendary at that bit. I even shoved my placentas out without help. Midwife said she'd never seen that done before

Even if you did faint (unlikely) it wouldn't harm the baby. There have been cases of babies being born by vaginal birth where the mum has been in a coma. You would still breath when fainted so the blood supply to baby would still be oxygenated.

As well as talking t the community midwife now, talk to the labour ward midwife at the time. As a midwife if I was looking after someone who was very squeamish I would be doing stuff to ensure you don't see much if you don't want to. Not that there's a lot to see from the mums point of view to be honest. But I'd talk to you about stuff like if you wanted baby wiping before being passed to you. Making sure if you needed blood taking at any point that you were laid down.

Good luck.

Honestly I'm not squeamish at all and didn't see a single bit of blood or gore in two births until I asked to see the placenta. If you are worried about fainting, then definitely think about staying on the bed (I did for both mine, it was fine despite the internet telling me it was Worst Position Ever) as fainting is most likely to hurt you.

If you are short sighted, maybe don't wear glasses or lenses to help minimise your exposure but really, there won't be much to see if all goes well. And if there's a lot, it's because you have had a hemmorage or something and may well faint anyway.

Oh gosh just saw one of your earlier replies - I think you are nuts to go anywhere a water pool if you think you are a fainting risk. Fainting while on a bed - perfectly manageable. Fainting while stood up - possible you might hit your head as you land, not great but not catastrophic. Fainting while in a pool, someone needing to haul you out as a dead weight if you stay blacked out for long, possibly even slipping underwater and aspirating some, a hideous thought. Please don't.

I had an episiotomy. My DH says there was loads of blood but I genuinely saw nothing and didn't even know I'd had it done until afterwards!

Sycamore, not necessarily. As I said upthread I am a fainter. But I am also someone who finds being in water very relaxing. I knew instinctively I wanted to be in water to give birth and it was right for me. Apart from anything else, I was sort of lying across the pool with my head resting on the side - pretty difficult to faint if you're already lying down. It might be ideal for the OP if she feels positive about it (which is more than half the battle).