I am REALY scared of labour!?

Question

im 20 weeks.. so halfway towards the pain! I know its a time to look foward to meeting my baby boy but i am terrified of the pain, the pregnancy books make it seem worse im sure of it, please can someone try and describe labour for me i know it differs from woman to woman but just a little bit of calming down would be nice :) x

Thanks for being honest everyone! I actually dont want the epidural.. or anything with a needle for that matter, i guess I am a wimp, Just as long as I live through it! thankyou though :-)

Answer 1

Honestly don't worry, you could have an epidural which numbs you from the waist down, but honestly you'll be fine with a pain relief injection, id avoid the epidural if you can. to be really honest, at first i thought i was just twitching, i was in labour & didnt even know.!!! i cant remember the pain. its a true saying its a pain you forget.!!!
Wish you all the best for the future, you soon wont have time for the pc when your holding your little bundle of joy.!!!

Answer 2

I am the biggest wimp around and I have survived labor 3 times.

It starts with a bit of cramping...no worse than period pain. It gradually gets more painful. But if you do the breathing they tell you it really helps. So does a warm shower or bath. The other thing to remember is that the drugs are great! I had an epidural all three times and it really made a difference. But even the gas and other medications I was offered before the wonderful epidural man could get to me made things bearable. The great thing about labor is that there is no residual pain. Once the baby is out that's it it's over. Not like stubbing your toe where it still kind of hurts days latter.

Just keep telling yourself that it only last a matter of hours (and hey you can put up with almost anything for a couple of hours right) and that there is nothing wrong with taking any interventions that are offered to make it better. (by the way getting the epidural was a breeze...I found getting an I.V. put in was worse )

Try and relax...it is never as bad as you think.

Good luck

Answer 3

I have had 6 children- all naturallly, no meds. They were all different. With my first, I took childbirth classes, and did excercises in preparation. Everything went ok for a first baby. It hurt, but the techniques I had learned really helped. With my second I thought I had this thing all figured out, and didn't do much to prepare. I had a really hard time, because he was born face up. Very painful. As a result, when I was pregnant with my third, I was really scared. I had nightmares, sometimes dreaming labor- it would be so real I would wake up sweating. I prayed and prayed. God showed me a lot of grace. My entire labor only lasted about 2 hours. She was born about 45 minutes after I arrived at the hospital. There was so little pain that I walked in the hospital and told them I thought I might be in labor, but wasn't sure. I honestly thought it was another dream, and I would wake up and have to do it all over again, because it was just too easy. My next child came even faster. With the fifth one I was in labor for 16 hours and had not dialated past 2 centimeters. It was very painful even though nothing was happening. They were going to give me pitocin, but never got the chance. All of a sudden, something happened, and within half an hour he was born. The next one was just a normal labor, and lasted about five hours.
I preferred no meds- I think it's better for mother and baby. But most people now have an epidural, and it doesn't seem to do any real harm. My daughter had one, and it worked so well that they had to wake her up and make her push. The baby was born very fast. (maybe it runs in the family!)
I highly recommend that you take childbirth classes and do prenatal excercises. Read some good books on natural childbirth, even if you don't plan to go natural. The techniques really do help. And speak up for yourself in the hospital- insist they do what you want, and don't let them talk you into anything you don't want. One trick l learned was to make them raise the head of my bed so I was sitting up during delivery. Gravity was in my favor, and I didn't use half my energy pulling myself up to push. Sometimes the nurses acted like I was crazy, but I insisted, and they did what I wanted. I will warn you that there is a stage of labor called transition that is probably the most painful part, and may also cause shaking, nausea, etc. But it doesn't last very long. If you recognize it happening, try not to let it scare you. Instead, think of it as a sign that delivery is close. And it really is true- once you have your precious baby in your arms you will forget the pain.

Answer 4

I wouldn't worry too much as every one is different. The first start of labour your more scared than anything else the pain you can managed at the time. The pain will start to come more often and lasting longer the pain then starts to get intense. There are many ways to deal with the pain and some are good than others. Only you will know what type of pain relief you want.

Answer 5

Labour is not a pleasant experience.

At the risk of having many thumbs down I will tell you about my labour. I'm afraid it won't put your mind at rest though.
In the beginning I used the tens machine to supposedly ease the pain but it hurt so much I thought it worked purely by attention diversion, takes your mind off the labour pain as the tens was hurting too! Then I had gas and air, which was ok until I could stand the pain no more and wanted an epidural. However it was too late for one then as I was too far into labour for it to be done. Don't ask me why. So I had one pethedine, shortly followed by another and was still screaming with the agony. At parenting class they told me that when you feel that 'sting' you have to keep pushing through it. I realised what that 'sting' was afterwards. It was me tearing in half. I had a grade 4 tear. Which means basically two holes into one.
I likened labour to being strapped to a bench and having a circular saw cut you in half up between your legs. Well, thats what I was thinking at the time and I remember it too well!
It's something I would think twice about doing again. But the love and joy which my daughter has given me makes it all worth it.

Answer 6

Hi, I know what you are going through! I had experienced labor twice and both times were normal, no c-section and they were both done without meds. I am not going to lie to you, I screamed like hell, but it only lasted for a little while and I promise the minute you push your beautiful baby boy out, all the pain stops and nothing matters but you wanting to hold your brand new baby!! I hope I helped and didn't scare you anymore than you already were. But I always say, it is so worth it for that little bit of pain and I would do it again!! Congradulations and Good Luck!!

Answer 7

Being frightened will make things worse, I was extremely lucky in my pregnancies, I had almost no meds and it all went quickly for me. People tryed to scare me too, I don't know what is wrong with these people, I will be honest and say it doesn't tickle but it can be alot worse if you choose to go into it with the wrong frame of mind. It is alot like intense menstrual cramps, learn your breathing techniques and realize that it will all be over in a matter of a few hours or in some cases minutes. My first took 4 hours and my second took 25 minutes, as I said, I was fortunate. I walked alot during my pregnancies and they say that this is good for you and will help you when the time comes. Don't be scared, it is the most awesome thing you will ever experience and the most awesome thing you will ever do. Relax and enjoy, and congratulations and good luck.

Answer 8

Hi hon.

I have witnessed the birth of both of my godsons. Each birth was very different. My best friend completely astounded me when giving birth as she is terrible with pain. She gets a stomach ache and thinks its appendicitis, she gets a head ache and thinks its a brain tumour etc, so as you can see she is a real wimp. However, with both of her births she coped fine and used no painkillers at all, she was my hero.!!!! Just remember that there is pain relief there if you need it and don't be afraid to ask for it. Best of luck and love to your little one... :>)

Answer 9

Bless but it's a bit late now. There is gas and air and other things that can help you get through this. Most women do it, and some more than once so it really isn't that bad. Imagine what you get at the end of it - it will make any pain worth it. Make sure you have everything ready for your hospital stay - get your bag packed with enough time and have a good birthing partner. Good luck.

Answer 10

dont be scared i was 16 when i had my first so you can imagine that i was scared but your womanly instincts kick in and you just deal with it its like really bad period pain but at least when you are in labour you know you will get something at the end of it which makes the pain worth while hope every thing goes ok hun and dont worry you will do fine xxx