Afraid of Childbirth?

Question

One childhood friend passed away after childbirth b/c of an infection that entered her bloodstream when they had to cut her to make room for the baby.. Another friend who had that same cut said the recovery was awful and took a long time. My sister had a c-section and had complications in recovery. I'm very very scared. Any advice any of you can share?

Sorry Allyson and anyone else I scared w/ my question =( Not my intention.

Answer 1

After that I don't blame you for being afraid!But,God made a woman's body to birth a child!If you truly believe praying helps!!!It helped me tremendously.I just prayed for a fast and easy delivery and of course a healthy baby!God is wonderful!Good Luck!PS,I'm just answering you like my pastors wife did for me,I'm not trying to preach to you,so I hope it didn't come out that way!!Good Luck! =)

Answer 2

I can understand why you are afraid. Of course, anything is possible, but I think cases like what you've described are decreasing.

I was so scared of childbirth too! I was at the hospital for about 24 hours before my first child was born. I drove my poor nurse absolutely crazy because I kept telling her I was nervous / scared. I did get an epidural which got rid of almost all of my pain while I waited to dilate. But I kept asking the nurse if the pain would get bad again. I am going to tell you some good news though........the actual childbirth part was not bad at all! People say I just forgot, but no....my husband is my witness. I had way more pain before the epidural, and barely any pain during the delivery. I just should have gotten the epidural a little earlier. A few years later, I had my second child. I got the epidural early on that time, and again, the delivery was a little uncomfortable for about 2 minutes.....that was it. I know every delivery is different, but I am here to tell you that I had two wonderful childbirth experiences. Some people will try to talk you out of an epidural. I know there can be negative side effects; however, for me, it made the experience enjoyable. Good luck!

Answer 3

It's very normal to be afraid of childbirth - it's a very scary and (once you're already pregnant) inevitable part of being a woman. I was scared beyond belief but I was in labor for 3 days and then finally delivered via C-Section and everything was fine. It sounds like you've just been involved in some very scary birthing situations but those aren't the norm - if you have these fears and are pregnant then you can talk to your OBGYN and they will talk you through the whole process and give you stats on problem deliveries. If you're not pregnant then you might as well go get some BC until your fears subside. It's a messy duty but the prize at the end is totally worth it

Answer 4

Although complications from childbirth are decreasing steadily with the new technologies and medicines, bad things still happen. Your best weapon is to be well-informed. Episiotomies (cutting of the perineum) are becoming less commonplace. However, infection after childbirth is still a big issue. Talk to your doctor about how you can help prevent it by not smoking, exercising and keeping yourself in good health. When in the hospital, demand that all nurses and attendants wash their hands upon entering your room (guests too). Prevention is key. Read up on what you can do. It will make you feel less powerless.

Good luck.

Answer 5

Yea, it's scary. My sister had a terrible labor and delivery, and the nurses said that hers was the bloodiest and most difficult they'd ever seen in their careers. My sister had nightmares about it for over a year, and my other sister and I were soooo scared.

Luckily we both had relatively smooth deliveries.

Complications do happen; most are minimal. I thought of it this way: At this point, you have no choice but to go through childbirth. It's like a time bomb. And know what? You're going to be willing to go through ANYTHING to deliver your little baby safely, so it's really not worth stressing over and worrying about.

Are you talking about an episiotomy? They are relatively safe. Did your friend get a staph infection or something from it?

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All you people who say childbirth is a natural and wonderful thing: Stop smoking crack. Childbirth is awful. It's difficult. It's painful. It's terrifying. There is nothing natural about having contractions so painful your body contorts in pain and you puke. Really. It's about as natural as having an axe pummel your neck.

I was never as convinced there was no God as when I was in labor. Thbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbt.

Answer 6

Well, first of all, it sounds like all of your friends problems stemmed from medical interventions that were probably unnecessary at best, and life-threatening at worst. Without bashing the medical community on the subject of birth, and without taking up an entire page with this answer, let me encourage you that many, many women have beautiful birth experiences without complication, and often with very little or no pain. Episiotomies are not a good idea and immediately start you out with at least a 2nd degree laceration, which can cause even worse tearing. Your best defense is to educate yourself about the birth process from a variety of sources. Read encouraging and uplifting birth stories so that you are aware of the good side of things, rather than the horror stories that are so often circulated, only making the problems they are bemoaning worse in the process.
I have a variety of information and suggested literature, so please, feel free to contact me with any questions. I truly believe that my preparation for childbirth, and knowing exactly what I wanted out of the experience, lead to an amazing labor and delivery. Best of luck!

Answer 7

Don't worry to much. If you do it will make the baby uneasy. He/She knows when you are upset and worried. God's will will be done no matter what. I know you are upset. Everyone is. No matter how many times they go through it. Think about the beautiful baby you will have. Not many people die during childbirth/ I am always afraid of death cause I am a God fearing women. It will work out the way it is suppose to. Worrying won't change nothing. Trust me. If it will help you should talk to people who had a great labor. I had a alright labor. God Bless and Congrats

Answer 8

Childbirth is a very natural, beautiful thing. I loved going through it with my daughter. Now, it is difficult, no doubt about that! However, there is no greater feeling than knowing that you carried and then gave birth to a child. Try not to let other women's awful circumstances scare you. Many, many women give birth every day and it is both normal and uneventful (meaning there were no complications). Just focus on the wonderful miracle that birth brings...new life.

Answer 9

I had my daughter almost 5 years ago. I too was terrified but it all turned out fine. The risk of complications are so small. I know it is hard not to worry about it but trust me, once you are on that table pushing, complications would be the last thing from your mind. :)

Just dont worry and trust what the doctors or nurses tell you. After all, they have done this several times a week for who know how long. :)

Good luck on everything.

Answer 10

there are things you can do to prevent getting an episiotamy. you can tell your doctor that you don't need one. you can also massage your perenium (the muscle between your anus and vagina) with a massage oil to soften it up and help it to stretch easier. ask your doctor what their % rate is for episiotamys. if they do a lot of them there is a more likely chance that they will think they "have" to do one on you. God made your body proficient at having a baby and doctors feel they need to interfere and it often complicates things.
do some research on natural childbirth. try the book "the thinking woman's guide to childbirth"