Severe emetophobia - worrying about birth

[Twiggywinkle13]

Just looking for some advice.

I’m due in April, there’s nothing to say not to at least try for a natural labour/birth. The problem is I have really quite severe emetophobia and I’m terrified that I’ll spend my labour being sick. I know this doesn’t sound like a huge problem but it is to me. This is my first baby! Is it best to speak to my midwife about this beforehand? Can you get anything to help with feeling sick in labour? It makes me worry about taking any pain medication because I know a lot of it can make you sick.

Emetophobic here too.

My biggest fear wasn't the birth or morning sickness but when the kids get bugs and in absolutely terrified !!

I did shit when I was pushing with number 2. I couldn’t care less it was a case of I needed to get it out of the way before she could
come out 😂

Unfortunately my phobia is worse than ever :( I had hoped becoming a mother would magically cure it and it makes me feel like a terrible mother but I cannot be around my kids when they are sick. I go in to survival mode, I don’t sleep, eat, I just manically clean and clock watch every hour to see if I am out of the ‘risk’ window of catching whatever they have or coming down with something. It’s a miserable way to live tbh.

I'm not emetophobic but I do tend to throw up when I have my period and it was something I was concerned could happen in labour. Sure enough, right after my waters broke I started to feel queasy - they gave me an anti-emetic shot straight away, it was magic, and I didn't feel sick at all for the rest of my labour and delivery.

Another one here who can attest to the magic of antiemetics. I'm not phobic, but I really hate vomiting and nausea. I had an anti emetic injection at the same time I had diamorphine with my first, and was given some when I said I was feeling a little nauseous during my C-section with my second. Zero vomiting. Ondansetron is amazing stuff.

Thank you again, these responses are amazing!! I am definitely going to talk to my midwife next week at my appointment about it.

@Taxdummy i had horrendous nausea and gagging for the first 21 weeks, I really don’t know how I did get through it some days. If I felt particularly bad, I do have anti emetics for migraines so I took them and basically just hoped for the best. It wasn’t a fun time!

Also lifelong emetophobe and I requested an elective csection because I was worried about all the uncontrollable factors of labour. I knew there was no guarantee that people don't get sick during CS but it was the risk I decided to take as the baby had to come out one way or the other :P! I got lucky and had a fantastic ELCS without even remotely feeling sick. In the surgery forms there's a box you can tick asking if you tend to feel sick during anesthesia and I chose that presuming they will give you more anti-sickness. They gave me a small cup of what I think was rantinidine just before going into theatre.

The only time I felt nauseaous was after they started giving me an IV morphine-type pain medication after the surgery. I told them to stop it right away and everything went back to normal. I managed the pain with ibuprofen and paracetamol, the same combo I use for period cramps and it turned out just fine.

My experience was that the phobia did improve significantly after having a baby. Babies being sick don't really have the same triggering factor, especially if it's just spitting up a bit of milk they drank 5 seconds ago. And you also know it's not infectious so that makes it easier to deal with.

I agree @CoffeeDay for me baby sick was not scary at all (I had two reflux babies and some
days we were covered!) Like you say, you can’t catch reflux :)

It’s really no biggie, there are several different anti emetics they can give you, don’t even need to be prescribed by a doctor. It’s very standard to dish them out in labour and your midwife would rather you had them 😉

It’s funny that you guys say this, I don’t feel like I’m worried about the baby being sick - possibly knowing it’s not catching, that I can’t get it helps? Lord knows how I’ll cope when he gets the inevitable nursery sick bugs!

This, a thousand times! Am also an emetaphobe, was telling a work colleague how scared I was for the same reasons as you. His wife was a midwife. The next day, he told me I could request medication in my birth plan.
Had an emergency c section and asked for the meds afterwards. They injected me straight away. No vom at all. This was 7 years ago, and I'd do it again. I hope this helps you. Good luck xx

This is the first time I’ve ever heard you can be given something to stop the sickness in labour. Holy crap. I heard nothing at NCT and was given nothing and I was sick as a dog. ( It was the Pethidine OP) God it’s so annoying to read this.

I was sick during my natural labour but it was because I kept pressing the top up button on my epidural 😂
I was also sick after my c section, doctor said it was likely the anaesthetic.
Apparently I don't do well with that. Thankfully it was only twice and then I felt fine.
They should freely give you the antiemetic though and they're pretty fast working.
Good luck! I had an April baby last year and it was a lovely Spring/Summer

I had the same experience in my first labour. The medication was magic. Seemed to work instantly. Have it written into your birth plan OP and ask for it early xx

I had anti sickness meds, but you may also just hit a wall of acceptance that things are coming out of either end and you have no control or dignity left to worry about.