Bad fear

[mumm321]

Hi. Can anyone give me some advice about labour? Im due this month.I'm absolutely petrified. I'm scared of the pain reliefs. I don't like anything that is going to make me feel different. I'm scared to give birth all together. My anxiety is awful. I haven't had a nights sleep in over 3 weeks now constantly worrying about it. I'm starting to get upset all day now! I'm absolutely terrified

Your body has evolved & developed to give birth it’s what it’s designed for 👍

Can you try some mindfulness - calm app is good, hypnobabies is amazing & there are lots of other birth hypnosis types you can try. Prioritise sleep & relaxing. Lack of sleep will make everything feel worse.
Speak to your midwife about your worries.
Try writing a positive “what if” list- what if giving birth is an amazing experience, what if I feel safe & confident etc

Ina May Gaskin says “let your monkey do it” - stop thinking & just follow your body.

You don’t have to take drugs but maybe researching the effects of different drugs will give you a better idea of which you would first accept if needed.

Lots of deep breaths - breathe in along the short side of a rectangle & out along the long side (pick a rectangle to follow round with your eyes or with a finger).

You can do this & nothing will ever be more worthwhile

Have you spoken to a midwife about how worried you are? They can refer you to additional support if necessary.

You don't have to have any pain relief that you don't want. I chose not to have any gas and air because I don't like how it makes me feel. I also didn't have any pethidine or similar for the same reason. I did have an epidural in the end, unavoidably, but that was fine actually. It didn't make me feel odd, just stopped me from feeling the contractions.

Have you thought about trying a tens machine? Also, some people find some of the hypnobirthing techniques useful.

What is it about the birth that particularly makes you feel anxious?

Definitely try mindfulness, there are some great free apps like headspace, just for a start.

Have you had an appointment with your midwife where you have some sort of birth plan or at least options of pain relief? If there is something specific making you feel that way, there could possibly be an alternative?

Look up positive birth stories. Stop reading anything negative about birth.

You'll be able to deal with whatever happens, have faith in yourself! Remember birth doesn't last forever. You'll go from pregnant to holding a beautiful baby in the twinkle of an eye.

It is scary I know. But you can do it OP.

I was dreading giving birth too, wrote a birth plan (complete waste of time IMHO)

I got on absolutely fine. Birth was much easier than I expected it to be.

I hope it goes well for you OP, try not to think too much about it, enjoy the rest of your pregnancy, keep active and take care of yourself.