Needle phobic Advice needed!

[WingingIt101]

As the title suggests I’m needle phobic. The very thought of having an injection / bloody test / cannula etc makes me anxious, upset and at times physically sick. I can’t focus and get a headache. Please don’t laugh at me or tell me to pull myself together - I know it’s stupid as a grown woman to feel this way.

I’ve coped through my pregnancy with the usual booking in bloods, 12 week screening bloods and then a GTT. I got progressively better and managed by knowing it was coming and making sure I was really well hydrated and talking to the midwife first so I could be reckoned in the chair etc. I then got taken in for monitoring and as I was being discharged the midwife said oh god we forgot to do your blood test, sleeve up! I’d had no time to mentally prepare and it didn’t go well. They struggled to get a vain and it was painful. I feel hyper sensitive to it being in my arm or hand.

I’m now 33 weeks and starting to consider my birth preferences having covered pain relief at our antenatal class this week.
Initially at the start of my pregnancy I was very open minded to all pain relief and said I’d go with whatever I needed at the time. Now it’s more imminent I’m terrified and can’t think straight about it all.

I’m terrified that my needle phobia will make me unable to make a rational choice in labour about what I need.
I’m terrified that I won’t know when I do need more intervention / the next level of relief. E.g in pain, it’s hell but I’m just about coping with gas and air / water - how do I know if I’m at 70% of the pain or 100%?? Because if i knew it was at 100% and although difficult I knew I was coping then I’d probably not go up to pethadine / remifentinol / epidural etc. If I was only just coping and knew it was going to get worse.... what if I can’t make a rational decision to have additional relief.

Ultimately if a medical professional tells me I need something I think I’ll do it. My baby has to be ok and come out safely but how on earth do I cope with the pain with the added layer of wanting to avoid needles with all my might.

So many people have said I just won’t care when I’m in labour and maybe I won’t but right now that sentence makes me feel like this phobia is being minimised and I really need some practical advice on either managing pain in labour and/or handling needle phobia please!

Blood test (although bloody test feels more appropriate!!)

Declined in the chair not reckoned!!

Sorry should have proof read!

Oh ffs reclined. Re-flippin-clined.
I give up

"I’m terrified that I won’t know when I do need more intervention / the next level of relief. E.g in pain, it’s hell but I’m just about coping with gas and air / water - how do I know if I’m at 70% of the pain or 100%?? Because if i knew it was at 100% and although difficult I knew I was coping then I’d probably not go up to pethadine / remifentinol / epidural etc. If I was only just coping and knew it was going to get worse.... what if I can’t make a rational decision to have additional relief."

I think you're over-thinking it op. I'm completely fine with needles yet spent lots of the end of my labour "not knowing what to do". I asked for an epidural when the baby was about 4 minutes from being born and when I was told no I ended up crying "but I said please!" like a little three year old!
Being unable to make rational decisions isn't just for the needle-phobic in labour. I'm not trying to scare you, just trying to make you see that the things you're scared of are all very normal things.

If it makes you feel any better I spent the first quarter of my labour not knowing for sure whether I was in labour or not, only had gas and air and would totally do it again some day. You'll be brilliant

You’ll be fine! You’ve clearly done amazingly with all the extra needles along the way with the pregnancy. I would just pop a note about it in your birth plan so you know that they know (I did this for my sick phobia and they were SO kind and accommodating) and then just focus on being as zen about the whole labour thing as possible. You won’t know how you will find it until it’s happening so there is no good trying to second guess too much. Your body has grown this baby from the teensiest spec to a whole mini person it can also get you through the labour.

I think a lot of people find that things they were worried about beforehand go out of the window when it’s, ahem, showtime. For example when I was having my first my DH casually said - do you realise how many people have had their hands up you today? LOL! And until he said it I hadn’t even really registered, but it was quite true, many, many people. Ok with that on any other day? Hell no.

Second birth was ridiculously fast and wild. I had my foot in some poor midwife’s shoulder and a death grip on some person’s hand - ZERO idea who they were but whom I heard say “I don’t normally do this but I don’t think she is going to let go of me”. Damn straight I dimly thought from my far away place. I did not let go of her. To this day I have no idea who she was...she wasn’t a midwife.

Everyone is different but re the pain relief as you mentioned it. 1st had tens machine and gas and air which got me up to 10cm fine (but then had to have an EMCS)

Second one - basically nothing as there was no time! Had gas but couldn’t really use the it that well during labour. Local injection and gas and air after as I had to have a few stitches.

I too have a needle phobia and have gone through 3 pregnancies. 1 epidural (had to have 2 as first didn't work).
I scream, cry and physically shake at the thought of needles- even blood tests. The midwives couldn't believe that after childbirth I started to cry when they brought the K10 (?) injection- they tried to hid it but I saw hehe.
Honestly the nurses and midwives have seen it all with needle phobia and they will be great with you I'm sure- some did the tough love with me - some paired up to be good cop and bad cop. My husband just called me a wimp lol
Try not to worry - even tho it's hard x

You’ve done fine so far, you’ll be fine. Once you’re in labour if it’s a long one you’ll have time to psych yourself up.. I’m like you with needles, I always ask to lay down if I don’t I’ll faint. Midwifes were all aware.. even during my induction I made a point of telling everyone who came in that if they needed to do anything with a needle I needed to lay down and look away, and ideally not bloody tell me what’s happening I don’t need to know.

I ended up with an epidural, which was a relatively easy needle (two midwifes supported me for the sitting up part so if I fainted I’d just have been flopped cuddling a pillow) but the relief of the epidural vs the scratch of the needle was worth it.. I also asked them to not let me see them set up any of it before hand so I didn’t work myself up.

I went really quick back to back, induced, waters broken, epidural, drip in and then Ds needed forceps (he wasn’t turned fully) and having the epidural earlier on was a godsend as it only needed bumped up to a full block not an rushed you have to have this kind of situation. I did try gas n air for 5 minutes while they got the epidural it helped but at that point I wasn’t sure how fast it was all moving and I wanted to know I’d be ok for the long haul.

Doing it again this time, hopefully not induced (although I think I’d like the fact I had a timeframe of so many days again) and I’ll give the gas n air a better go. Besides that I know paracetamol, cocodamol and morphine didn’t help.. morphine just made me tired and spacey.

My birth plan says I’m open to anything and may change my mind at the time but mentions that id like to discuss any needles/iv’s before hand and where possible lay down for any. I had considered asking if they could just put a cannula in so anything else can be done without a poke but at the same time i can’t stand the feeling of them or the thought of it catching.

I'm not good with needles, I used emla. It takes 15 minutes to work and you're numb. I did both hands and my back for my epidural.

Oh lovely, good on you for managing yourself this far!
Childbirth hurts, but some people have a relatively easy labour. I managed both of mine with a TENS machine and a little bit of gas at the very end, you may get lucky.
I'm a HCP, and on my 2nd dc even though I knew he would be born within minutes I started demanding a cesarean as I was exhausted, they looked at me like . Honestly, no one makes rational decisions in Childbirth, you won't be the only one

Thank you everyone, it’s good to hear others stories and I’m sure you’re right that it won’t seem as bad when it’s happening etc. It I can’t shake the nagging worries and am not sure how best to manage the next 7 weeks! Has anyone out there had any kind of help with getting over phobias (needles or otherwise!) x

Not needle or phobia specific but the positive birth company does some great videos on YouTube. Good luck

I completely sympathise - I have a bad needle phobia. I once passed out when I saw a cannula being put in my mums hand, ended up with concussion.
All through my pregnancy I told my husband not to let them put a cannula in my hand as the idea of it freaked me out. I also didn't want an epidural no how painful it was as I knew panicking about it would make me feel worse.
I then found out my baby was breech. I had to have injection in my back, spinal, cannula and various injections.
I also had to self administer 10 days of anti blood clot injections after birth.
I hated all of it but when it comes down to doing what is needed to keep your baby safe you just do it. You don't worry as it's what's best for them.
With the injections after birth I wasn't going to do it until my husband told me i could get a blood clot and leave baby without a mum so i did it. I felt sick and feint every time but you do whatever you need to for your baby.

I am just starting exposure therapy for my phobia! So you could try contacting your GP and ask for something along those lines to help you. I have also used EMLA for a blood test in the past and you can feel nothing! I am interested @anon2000000000 to hear you used it for a cannula and in your back - did it work? I had heard that it wouldn't work well as it doesn't numb very deep. Have you used it for injections too?

I've got a needle phobia, but found that expressing my fears to anyone taking my blood really helped.

When it came to labour though I would have quite happily shoved the needle in myself had it meant I got pain relief 😂 it really will be the last of your worries. if I can do it you can, trust me!!

Thank you so much to everyone who’s shared their ideas and similar feelings - I can’t tell you how much it helps to hear it and not feel stupid for being scared. It also has more validity to the “you really won’t care” message when it’s from someone who feels the same normally and has had a baby! I visited our local birth centre this weekend where they can’t do epidural or remifentinol and so long as I stay low risk I can give birth there (it’s attached to the hospital labour ward but much calmer and less clinical yet you can still get to doctors and intervention in 5 minutes if needed) so I’m hoping that will help me to stay more relaxed. Xx

@Valand123 I didn't feel the local anaesthetic go in so it worked for that and my epidural.

I use emla for blood tests, cannulas, epidural.

You can request a freeze spray too.

I'm ok with normal injections because I was diabetic with both pregnancies and injected a lot of insulin and 7 blood sugars a day.

Didn't feel a thing with my cannula either.

I had it on for a couple of hours when I went in to have dd.

Forgot to add that bit.

I have a needle phobia- my childbirth solution was simple... no pain relief that required needles. Have a look into hypnobirthing in advance as if you can keep yourself calm it's very doable but the pain feels worse if you let yourself panic about it. And a tens machine too, that helped me.

For my first labour though, I had post birth complications and ended up with an epidural and surgery after I had given birth on just gas and air. Obviously at that stage it was an emergency and I just had to woman up and go with it, but it was not an experience I'd care to repeat. It doesn't always go as planned but I managed to deal with it when it happened.

I then went on to have 2 babies with just TENS and nothing else.... there is nothing wrong with hoping for no needles as a plan A.

My mum has a severe needle phobia as a result of a traumatic 6mths in hospital after being hit by a car and every vein eventually collapsing. Its a real condition and not as rare as you might think.

I too recommend emla cream which is a local anaesthetic cream to numb the pain. Its used for taking blood/cannulating children, before tattoos and body piercings. I used it before a belly piercing and felt nothing at all! An A&E department with a childrens section might stock it, but the majority of 'regular' wards likely won't. You can buy it from large chemists or order online. I'd recommend getting some and taking with you for each visit, or if you know you'll need a blood test, apply beforehand. Ask the midwife/nurse/phlebotomist where exactly you'll need to apply it so you know (blood tests are taken from a different part of the arm to an injection of something going in, like the whooping cough vaccine). Its usually a blob of cream the size of a pea, then a plastic, adhesive dressing is applied over the top. The cream starts white, but as it gets absorbed, it goes an opaque colour. It can take as little as 15min to work , but generally 30-60 min recommended prior to a blood test and it lasts 4hrs! They also have emla patches, which are even easier to use. You just peel the backing paper off and apply to the skin.

Another thought is to see your GP and ask for CBT sessions so you can talk through your phobia and get it under control prior to baby arriving.

Lastly, make sure its clear on ALL your notes, esp if you see an anaesthetist and every Dr/midwife that needle phobia is added onto your notes. My mum required daily clexane injections in her stomach, but they'd let her apply the cream 30mins beforehand and used to remind her to do so.

Phobias are tough aren’t they? I gave birth with out an epidural and yes the pain was a lot. But my only fear of giving birth was if I had to vomit as some women do. I have emetaphobia, which is fear of vomitting. Thank GOD I managed all three pregnancies and births with out vomiting once (knock wood!). Anyway, you some how manage to get through it. And perhaps if you go natural and no epidural you won’t have to get poked with a needle.