FTM - worrying about labour - any positive stories?

[Emmaaa1990]

Hi everyone

I'm due in just over 4 weeks and I have started to feel really anxious and scared! I'm not sure if this current pandemic and not being able to socialise with family & friends is contributing to my feelings. I wondered if people could share their experiences of labour? Positive ones preferably feel like we all need to be positive atm! Thankyou in advance :) x

My labour started on a Monday at 11.30pm, 2+4 weeks early. At first thought I just had diarrhoea and didn't think to much about it! Ended up going to the hospital at 6am on the Tuesday, waters broke as we walked through the doors, had an exam and was 7cm dilated and had a water birth with gas and air.

Currently pregnant with number two so there will be an 18 month age gap and I'm actually worried my second labour won't be as good as my first as it went so well.

Only issue was the position of the baby's head in the canal which involved the midwife moving his head to get things moving, that was painful and he did have a cone head for a day but I was honestly surprised at how well I handled it and felt amazing after

With Dt I was in hospital from 36 weeks due to being in early labour and was the rule with twins. At 37 weeks I wasn't getting any further along so was told they'd induce me (I was really worried that this would make it a long labour had heard lots of horror stories). In the end from induction to delivering dt2 it was six hours. Gas and air only. Midwife was great told her I didn't want lots of staff in or Dr's just because it was twins. Although I had to be hooked up to monitors she helped me be as upright as possible. She was supportive throughout and listened. I was up within an hour of giving birth and able to see eldest within a couple of hours. We were in hospital for two days but only because I have a blood disorder that can be detrimental in newborns so they had to be observed otherwise we'd have been able to go home next day.
We often hear the horror stories more than the straight forward good labours because it's in people's nature to do so. Good luck and best advice I could give is go with the flow, accept things may not go to plan and relax as much as possible.

@DonutMuffin haha love that! Probably best not realising you are in labour for abit! Makes it quicker in the end doesn't it.

Aww a cone head bless! I'm sure your second labour will be fine you seemed to breeze through it the first time you can do it 💪🏼💪🏼 how far along are you now?

X

@Historyofeverything1 yeah I've heard twins are usually born earlier aren't they :) wow 6 hours is really good for induction isn't it, doesn't sound so bad when you hear that!

Always nice when you've got the support you want, I've been told I can bring what I want so what I want (within reason) I never knew that was an option! But loving how friendly and accepting midwives seem to be!

Yeah definitely agree with you there! I will definitely try and just let my body do it's thing! Thankyou for sharing :) x

I was so terrified of birth that I arranged an ELCS. Went into spontaneous labour 2 weeks early and by the time we got to hospital, it was too late for ELCS. This mean vaginal birth with absolutely no preparation. No hypnobirthing. No relaxing playlist. No gooch stretching. Etc. And it was the most amazing experience of my life! Absolutely incredible, my body just knew what to do. That moment when they handed my little one to me and I looked down at him, it was indescribable. The midwives were amazing.

Whatever happens, one day this will all be a distant memory. You will come out the other side. Good luck

16 weeks now and having been through it before I'm nowhere near as scared as I was the first time Good luck

@GlassHouseYouGlassHouse oh wow that's mental! Your body was like nope we doing this natural haha!

That's a lovely birth story as well so positive! Bet it's an amazing feeling holding your baby for the first time, think I'm really going to focus on that I can't wait!

Thankyou so much :) x

Honestly felt in your position being so scared but it was amazing, I'd definitely do it all over again compared to the first toilet afterwards 😂

Was booked for an induction at 41+1 and was petrified. I'm a big wimp with needles! Woke up at 5.13 on the induction morning with strange cramps. Not ridiculously painful at that point but I just knew they were different so got myself showered and did my hair, priorities eh. Felt the pain more in my back and bum; really hard to explain but it wasn't like a typical pain, more like being constipated.

Found a way to just breathe and move around in different positions, honestly being at home as long as possible helps and make sure you keep hydrated from that point into active labour.

Pain got worse but it's worth keeping in mind it's only for a short time, then you get a break. Got to hospital and they established me at 2pm at 5cm, lost my bloody show just after first examination and it seemed to ramp up from there. My plan was no interventions, definitely not being on a bed and a chilled water birth but little man decided to poo so I ended up not able to have one. Spent lots of time kneeling on the floor which is where my waters broke but eventually they wanted me on a drip on the bed to give me fluids as I wasn't hydrated enough and LO was looking a little distressed. Despite it being my nightmare idea, it was actually fine and I barely registered the drip (which fell out anyway mid pushing!) and I was fully dilated at this point.
I could only describe getting to near fully as being like your body is trying to push out something massive and for me, I had no control over it, my body just did it which was so empowering! I was offered gas and air which I tried but found I couldn't concentrate after a couple of puffs so packed that in and had no pain relief. I never thought I'd be able to do it but your body knows what it's doing but if you feel you need it, take it all!

Threatened with an episiotomy for a suction to get him out and they must have been worried as loads of Dr's etc were in the room, oxygen mask prepped but barely registered as I was determined! Managed to get him out before at 16.13 without the need for any intervention and a second degree tear. Can't say I remember any of the horrendous pain people mention for crowning but maybe because he exploded out frightening the Dr 😂. It was honestly amazing and seeing him felt like I'd achieved something massive.

Good luck whatever happens, go in with an open mind, be prepared for things to change and try not to worry about things as usually they're not as bad as you've built them up to be. 5 weeks on and he's just wonderful 😊

The actual delivery did not go well for me (forceps, complications) but being in labour wasn't as bad as I thought it would be! DS was positioned incorrectly so I never had the build up you hear about but instead contractions every few minutes - I did the first couple of hours on my own (it was the middle of the night!) and by the time they did the first check I was 6cm dilated. I think once you accept the pain, it gets easier. I think half the time I was floating in and out of a dream state, apparently my DH rubbed my back got hours but I don't remember at all (sorry hubs)! I found a contraction timer helped me focus in the earlier stages too.

@SparkleUK hahaha oh no the first toilet 😂 sounds fun!

Oh wow it's like your body knew what was gonna happen and was like nope not being induced on my watch! I'd be doing the same hair bit of makeup haha just what I'm like too!

Yeah I really think I will stay at home as long as I possibly can, home comforts and all that :)

You seemed to dilate quick which is good! I guess because your body was more than ready to have this baby by the time you did. Isn't it mad you have no control over your body pushing I always imagined you have to really push but it seems like breathing through it works Cos your body takes over.
That's incredible that you got him out so quick and managed to avoid the things the docs thought you needed how amazing!

Thankyou so much for sharing that was a lovely read this morning, congratulations on your little one too I absolutely cannot wait to meet my baby now 🙂 x

@Colouringinbook it seems as though we build up labour to be worse than it is don't we! It's just so different for everyone it's mad! Wish there was a 1 size fits all haha.

Christ you seemed to dilate quickly too! Always a positive!

Haha bless him, yeah I think you are right though I've got to get into my head space and focus and accept.

Everyone has given me such good advice and stories I really appreciate each and every one of them & I have read them all :) x

I’m 28 weeks pregnant and at this point I don’t think I’m worried about labour at all, but that happens when far more impactful things happen. 4 weeks ago my mother was diagnosed with cancer in 3 parts of her body (bowel, liver and lungs) and last week my dad died suddenly, so I think I’m actually looking forward to the physical pain taking away some of the mental pain...albeit temporarily. My dad’s funeral is 3 days before my due date and only 10 people, including myself, will be able to come because of the coronavirus and social distancing.

I wanted a waterbirth at home, failing that, one at my local hospital. I certainly didn't want to go to the main hospital 100 miles away, and I most certainly wasn't going to labour on my back.

No prizes for guessing where and how I have birth but you know what, I wouldn't change a thing. Ok, so if I have another I'm refusing an induction, but that just added to the story. There were so many amusing events during labour - getting entangled in the tubes I had in my arm when I went to the loo and having to call for help, hearing about a student's sex life, trying to subtly persuade a midwife not to keep enquiring about my relationship with my 'dp' in front of him, and joking with the anaethetist even when the epidural want working. And that's not all!

Honestly, it was a great experience.

@TimeIhadaNameChange I love your story! Sounds so funny in a painful situation! I'm happy that you feel it was positive sounds like a right story for the grandkids haha!

I hope mine is positive like yours :)
Thankyou for sharing x

Before labour I had a whole plan in place but once labour started none of that mattered and weirdly I felt very relaxed about it all 🤷‍♀️!

It hurt but it was exciting and the best day of my life !!!!

You’ll do great !!!

I was erring towards an ELCS as I was terrified and my mum had 2 EMCS. But I decided to brave it.

I was meant to be induced but had a reaction to the pessary and it was removed after less than an hour ( that part was horrendous but I won’t elaborate).

My waters broke spontaneously when I was still in the induction suite. I had a bath and by the time I got out I’d gone from 2cms to almost 6. Baby born 6 hrs later with gas and air and one shot Pethidine.
I was up and about almost immediately with zero pain, had 3 teeny weeny stitches which I couldn’t feel (and could have been left- there was a debate between the MWs as to whether to stitch or leave).

I had to stay in as had GD and baby had to be monitored for 24hrs (she was fine, just routine). My first wee and poo were painless, I genuinely felt amazing. I’d do it again tomorrow. It hurts but it was not like I feared.

So glad I went for it, I was an older first timer too at 41, so was expecting a shitshow!