36 weeks pregnant and freaking out

[ThatGentleScroller]

Advice welcome! I’m 36 weeks pregnant with my first baby and totally freaking out now we are getting closer. I’m anxious about birth, not being able to deal with the pain and also lack of control. I also feel like I’m being a rubbish wife and all sense of humour has been wiped from me & taking a lot out on my husband & feel like I can’t imagine feeling any different any time soon, no light at the end of the tunnel. I know this is probably being made worse by pelvic pain and a lack of sleep; but it’s hard. I didn’t expect any of this!

Please tell me this is normal and any advice welcome on how to handle this. I want to have a zen and peaceful birth and at the moment I just feel like I cannot handle any of this! Thank you!

I'd strongly recommend doing a quick hypnobirthing course. The science is sound and kept me really calm in both of my births (to the point where my second was born without a midwife in the room because I was just quietly getting on with things).

Totally normal, it's new and it's the unknown. Do you plan on having pain relief, epidural? Do you have your birth plan all ready? For me, packing my hospital bag really helped getting me somewhat excited for baby arriving, although I struggled to see past the birth. When I did go into hospital, I wasn't as anxious as the build up to it. It wasn't as full on as I imagined, it's quite dragged out. So there's lots of time to relax and go with the flow. Hope that makes sense. I'm sure your partner understands that, but speak to him tell him how your feeling. Me and my partner had a bit of an agreement that anything said in arguments etc we didn't really mean, sleep deprivation does awful things, and anything we needed to discuss we did. It'll be tough on your relationship when babys here too. Some things might not go to plan during birth, but that's ok. Take each step as it comes, and no matter how it happens you'll have this amazing baby and none of that will even matter x

Every single person in the world has been born to a woman. That's a LOT of mothers, and a lot of people who've been through childbirth. You can do it too.

There are loads of pain-management options, but it's also a pain that doesn't last forever, you know what's happening and you'll have the most amazing gift at the end of it.

You're about to experience a love you didn't know existed!! I wish I could see my first baby for the first time again. I didn't know what love or beauty was before.

I felt exactly the same about birth. My plan was epidural should things become unmanageable. My waters went and i was telling my bf I can’t do it I’m scared. I did have an epidural and now it’s all blur and you do just forget about it

Yes this