A few Questions about Labour...?

Question

Hey... I'm 38.5 weeks pregnant and I know the baby is coming soon, and I'm really nervous. I'm excited and anxious for her to come out, but at the same time when I think about labour I'm absolutely terrified! I know that I will probably get a walking epidural (low dose epidural, so I can still move around if I feel like I need to)... is there anyone else who felt this way? And how did you overcome it? I know that labour is inevitable!

Also, ... this may be too much info, but my nipples have been leaking lately and I heard that I should massage them to stimulate them, but I've also heard that this could start labour too? Has anyone else heard anything about that?

Thanks in Advance!

Answer 1

It is natural to be scared about going through labor and giving birth....Just try to relax as much as you can....the more you relax the easier it will go......I promise you, once your baby comes out and you see his/her beatiful face you will forget completely about the pain....I have given birth 4 times so I know all of this from a lot of experience!!!! If you want to try and start your labor try having sex, not to get personal or offend you, but this is what helped me......Good Luck to you and enjoy your bundle of joy:)

Okay well I thought the nipple thing was a myth but I found a website you might want to look at, it has tips on how to self induce labor:
http://www.babycenter.com/refcap/173.html

Answer 2

It may be too late to take a Lamaze class but maybe you can look it up online. Sometimes epidurals don't work - this happened to me with baby 3. The one thought that I focused on was that billions of women have been going through labor and most in conditions not as safe and comfy as that of where I was. Billions of women had babies in caves, in grass huts, in bed with no doctors. If they can do it so could I. It gave me a lot of comfort and honestly a powerful connection to strong women of the past- through a long, painful, non epidural first labor. Also tell yourself that if it were that horrible women would have only one baby each! Best wishes.
Also if you could bring your mom or some other female who has had a baby before into the delivery room with you that would be so helpful and reassuring.
By the way, nipple stimulation is no myth. If you are overdue your doctor will put a monitor on you and ask you or your partner to stimulate your nipples (after the doctor leaves the room) to contract your uterus.

Answer 3

Well everyone is different in this situation there are people that walk in there and have that baby hours later and then there are people like me that last 32 hrs of labour and that would include a c-section as well so i can only tell you that the breathing technique when use the right way can help allot also remain calm and don't panic and ask as many question as you want that is what they are there for to help you. i would say to request the epidural only when you can not take the pain anymore. do allot of walking i heard that really helps speed up the process. Most of all like i said before remain calm and don't panic that can cause the baby to go into distress and that would then prompt for a c-section.

Answer 4

Well lets start with the epidural. First my Fiancee just had her baby in Jan and the guy that put the epidural in must have missed the nerve or something she was in major pain. I would not want you to go through that get the full dose.And rubbing nipples does stimulate them and may bring on the milk supply a little earlier but not really needed. And also rubbing the nipples does bring on labor I read it in my book of "What to expect when expecting" Its a must read for any woman and her man. there is a LOT of good information in it.

Answer 5

Don't worry...i worked in OB/Gyn for l5 years and believe me, I saw lots of scared mommies to be...the epidural will help with the labor, BUT, remember, it also slows down the progress of the dialation of the cervix...They call it labor for a reason, it's not an easy or painless process...BUT, believe it or not, you WILL forget the pain once you hold your precious little girl in your arms....as far as you nipples go, you need to toughen them up as well if you are going to breastfeed,(take a warm cloth and rub them as hard as you can take it, then put some good creme on them afterwards) as they will crack and get very sore....intercourse and breast stimulation does in fact help to bring your labor on, but walking can as well...yes, the delivery is inevitable, but if given the epidural in time, it won't be as hard...make sure you have someone you love and trust to belp you in the delivery room...either massaging your shoulders, or just for support....make sure they know that you are not responsible for what you may say in the midst of the delivery, as if you are anything like most women, things you never thought you would say come flowing out of your mouth because of the pain...once you hold your little peace of heaven in your arms though...the labor will be a thing of the past and I'm sure you'll have another....good luck to you...it truly is a miracle to see...

Answer 6

Congrats hun!

It is normal to be scared. I think a little fear is good because your more apt to learn as much as you can about the things that scare you.

If you have not allready visit www.babycenter.com it is a wonderful site.

As for your nipples keep stimulating them when you bathe. It toughens them up for nursing. And yes if your in early labor stimulation of the nipples will strengthen the contractions a little.

Answer 7

HaHa I remember feeling EXACTLY like you! Trust me the epidural is great, don't worry it'll soon be over and you'll be onto all those lovely sleepless non-lonely nights. Congratulations and Best of Luck!

Answer 8

I know nothing abour labor since I am TTC, but just wanted to tell you CONGRATULATIONS! Goodluck in the delivery room!