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Pregnancy

Talk about every stage of pregnancy, from early symptoms to preparing for birth.

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Original poster

So I've heard labour is 'gross'...but just how horrible is it?

84 replies

alasia · 02/07/2007 11:52

Hi everyone, I'm a first timer at this pregnancy thing, so please humour me .

I was just reading through the replies on the 'solo labour' thread and noticed a couple of people saying labour is a bit gross, not a spectator sport etc. And it got me wondering just HOW 'gross' it is?

I'm kind of worried that the bed, or wherever I am at the time, will look a bit like someone's just been slaughtered on it; lots of blood everywhere and that kind of thing - also get vague memories of my school birthing videos where there was lots of umm...'gas passing' and even poo at times!

I've got quite a bad phobia of blood; I've just about got my head around having to have blood tests done but even that gets me sometimes (I regularly used to get really dizzy after blood tests, now if I really concentrate on something else while I'm having my bloods done, I can just about handle it).
It's such a silly phobia, but I even have trouble eating things like tomato ketchup and jam sometimes - because it's red!

I'm really worried that if there's a lot of blood it will really freak me out - and obviously that's the last thing I'll need in labour!

Do they hand the baby to you covered in blood/gooey stuff too, or would they clean him/her first?

Oh - and should I mention this to my MW or just wait until the day when I'm in the labour ward...people tend not to understand about the phobia thing; whenever I mention I have a blood phobia, I get the same reply every time - "it won't hurt!".

That's really not what I'm worried about! hehe.

PS - it's not squeamishness; I know there aren't many people that 'like' the sight of blood, but I completely freak; I get dizzy tyo the point of almost fainting, I've had panic attacks before and I just feel like I need to get as far away as possible from the blood - not an easy task when it would be coming out of me!

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

TranquilaManana · 02/07/2007 12:27

and homebirths do rock... you have much more control over what people do, see, say etc... i LOVED my homebirth for my 3rd. (was v lucky to have other 2 in v nice small mw birth unit, so no complaints, but homebirths are definately MUCH nicer imo.
if medically a good idea etc, obv.

honeyapple · 02/07/2007 12:28

I didnt bleed that much post partum. All women are different I suppose in this aspect. I tend to have light periods too- if this makes a difference .
Browny/red blood turning weirdly white...

TranquilaManana · 02/07/2007 12:32

ok, brace yourself;

its bright red. and theres a LOT of it.
you will need mattress size pads and lots of those incontinece pads they give you to sit/lie on afterwards (the same as disposable change mats for babies you can buy)

it is only incredibly heavy for the fist few days, then turns into a heavy-normal period for, about a week? or more after that.

the bulk will be out quicker, the sooner the uterus closes down after birth, and breastfeeding triggers that, so worth getting a latch if you can to get it done with and out the way.

the reason there is so much is that your blood volume is up by 1 third when carrying a baby, and once baby is out, that excess is unneccessary.

hope i havnt freaked you out! please keep posting to explore waysto cope with and think about it all...

luchinka · 02/07/2007 12:34

my problem is I'm in Spain and so don't really have a choice of birth partner. My mum doesn't speak Spanish, I'm not having my MIL and seeing how awful they can be here I want someone who can speak really good Spanish to tell them to F off when they're doing something I don't weant them to do. I speak good Spanish but I assume I'd be otherwise occupied.....basically I'd want some native Spanish speaker support and that means DH.

TranquilaManana · 02/07/2007 12:34

x-posts with honeyapple - ok so, maybe it'll be easier on you than i thought!

TranquilaManana · 02/07/2007 12:35

hmmm... a doula?
where are you inSpain? i have a friend living in Manresa who'd be ace for the job! lol

contentiouscat · 02/07/2007 12:38

Well if he does turn out to be squeamish then just keep him away from the action end! I thought my DH would be no use whatsoever but he was like a one man cheerleading section and not vaguely worried about it.

honeyapple · 02/07/2007 12:38

Gosh tranquilmama that sounds horrendous...

-dont listen to her, she is an exception... surely?

luchinka · 02/07/2007 12:39

western andalucia. I think if I got pregnant.....see, this is all hypothetical at the mo...I'd probably look for a doula. I do know a midwife here actually but logistically it's unlikely that she wouldn't be working and so not be free to help me. She works in the private sector, I'd be going to public hospital cos no private cover. They don't always even let the father into the delivery suite here, depends on the hospital

foxybrown · 02/07/2007 12:39

You are at the top end. Its fine.

Just don't look down

Original poster

alasia · 02/07/2007 12:47

TranquilaManana - thanks, your posts are helping me prepare for the worst possible scenario, and honeyapple's version of the blood gives me something to hope for! hehe.

Although...even just reading about the blood volume being up one third is making e a bit uncomfortable, as is typing it out again! I'm just getting a bit hot and antsy so hopefully if I keep reading stuff like this, I'll be mentally prepared for the birth!

Plus it'll be over soo enough I suppose - nd like someone just said' I can always just not look down!

OP posts:

thirtysomething · 02/07/2007 12:47

I've had two babies - didn't see much blood tbh, except maybe a bit on both babies' hair when they were handed two me, but in ds's case he was swiped off me almost instantly so they could clean him up! I think it's best to focus on your baby and not look when they diplomatically change the sheets etc after the birth. I think it would definitely be messier from a spectator's point of view. If you focus on the matter in hand you don't really notice the bodily fluids! Good luck

thirtysomething · 02/07/2007 12:49

also, as others have said, the stuff afterwards can be just like a heavy, long period - bright red for a couple of days then gets much darker. With my second babe it stopped within a week anyway.

Bouquetsofdynomite · 02/07/2007 12:50

Have a look on Ebay or Amazon for Sheila Kitzinger books on chilbirth for a bit more confidence and preparation.

cheechymunchy · 02/07/2007 12:52

I was terrified of pooing in front of DH. In the end, there I was, pushing away then suddenly thought to myself "Hang on, what's that I can smell? Oh no..." but the MW had already discreetly cleaned me.
I didn't know anything about the blood until I was back home and saw the pictures. Don't look if you don't want to see.
Oh, and I was sqeamish about slippery bacy put on me so asked in birth plan to have DS wiped down before he's given to me. There were no questions asked which led me to tink this might be a fairly common request.
Don't worry about the birth. In the midst of it, you really won't give a monkeys in the end! Good luck!

luchinka · 02/07/2007 12:54

my mum says she doesn't remember having bleeding at all after I was born. It was a long time ago admittedly but it obviously wasn't horrendous for her.

OrmIrian · 02/07/2007 12:58

The grossness of it didn't even occur to me at the time. Too busy with other factors. I saw no blood until after the birth - then there was quite a bit - but do you think it would really bother you in the circumstances? Make sure you tell the MW so that she cleans the baby as much as she can before handing him to you though.

Bouquetsofdynomite · 02/07/2007 13:00

Honestly the ickiness is nothing compared to the sheer indignity of it all .

twoplusone · 02/07/2007 13:03

alasia- I didnt see anyblood with mine really. Only a tiny bit on the baby, but I wanted them handed to me me before they were cleaned.)
I never pooed either at beginning of labour I was worried about it but by the end I couldnt have given a hoot.. aslong as the baby was coming out thats all I was bothered about.

Original poster

alasia · 02/07/2007 13:03

Thanks everyone, I feel a lot better about the birth now - although it hadn't even crossed my mind until I read that other thread! Hehe.

OP posts:

fearscape · 02/07/2007 13:20

I had a cs so slightly different point of view but if you really want to know . . .

Obviously couldn't move my legs at first, had ds at 17:30 and didn't stand up until the next morning. Put on 2 very thick maternity pads and by the time I got to the bathroom they were soaked through in bright red blood. I was clearly not the only person to experience this as the bathroom was also covered in blood. This was in the post-op recovery room - the rest of the hospital was very clean. I had to wear thigh-high surgical stockings during my op (very sexy ) and the tops of those were covered in blood. The mw told me it was from the operation rather than lochia - I took them off asap and demanded a new pair!

The actual cs was fine though, saw nothing.

Sorry if that's too much detail, but you did ask . . . ! Maybe you could mention it now, the mw/doctors might have come across it before and have some way of helping?

TranquilaManana · 02/07/2007 15:58

oh dear... i didnt find the blood or bleeding horrendous at all - im so not trying to freak anyone out!
i think alasia understands im trying to help her prepare and what bits to look out for, given the fact that she cant hanlde blood very well!

as so many people have said, in the event, theres actually tons of more pressing matters to think about... but alasia has said (and the thread is about) the fact that she has a phobia of blood, so im approaching the thing from that angle.

i totally beleive you can cope with it alasia - you already sound comforted and i reckon you are pretty used to finding ways to manage your phobia.

i have lots of friends over there - in Gib, Spain and Eivissa and i know it can be difficult to get hold of the same level of information and stuff... if there is a specific book you'd like i can get it and send it over for you if you like. personally i reccomend Birth and Beyond by Yehudi Gordon. pretty comprehensively covers the whole pregnancy/birth/early baby stuff and is v informative and sensitive...

reikizen · 02/07/2007 16:02

speaking as a student midwife and mum of 2, labour isn't at all gross - it's amazing. Normal rules of grossness don't apply in my opinion.

paulaplumpbottom · 02/07/2007 16:04

I read once that it was like the end of resevoir dogs with poo. My delivery was pretty bloody but no poo. Yours might be neat and tidy. You just won't know

LadyTophamHatt · 02/07/2007 16:05

Ds4's birth was pretty traumatic and bloody hard work and I honestly didn't see any blood that I didn't just see and a period.

Do your period have spark off the phobia too?

I know there was blood with DS4, afterall I'd just given birth to what felt like an elephant but I think your mind kind of tunes out once tha baby is in your arms.
I certainly did and the birth was really realllllly bad!

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