I am SO freaked out about giving birth - I'm 12 weeks pregnant, and I get faint during a pap smear, help!?

Question

I have always been very squeamish about my gynological appointments, and I have recently found out I am pregnant. I went in at 8 weeks for an abdominal and trans-vaginal ultrasound and did better than I expected, but now I have all those weird examinations, cervix checks and BIRTH to look forward to. I am so scared of the actual delivery part, and I know you'll all say "it's worth it in the end", and i totally believe you, but how do you get over the squeamish part of the checks and the crazy instruments and all that stuff. I dread the doctor checking my cervix for dilation (like a whole hand goes in there? lol) I almost pass out when I get a Pap Smear, how will I ever handle childbirth? OMG!

Answer 1

I know how you feel. I am now the mother of 4. They have gotten easier every time (anxiety wise), but my first I was PETRIFIED!!!! Might I suggest some deep breathing exercises? Or even talk to a hypnotist. Yoga would also be good. You need to learn some calming techniques. I will say this also, you mentioned how people say "it will all be worth it". That is true, but also, the minute you give birth, you don't have that pain anymore. Its amazing. One minute you want to die, the next, its gone. You'll do just fine. Your worries are extremely normal. Also talk to your OB. Tell him/her you concerns and see what they can suggest. Also, there is NOTHING wrong with getting an epidural. LOL. There are a lot of drugs out there to help with the pain. I wish you the best of luck!

Answer 2

1) HAVE THE EPIDURAl! I am sorry but all these people with their bunk about "natural" childbirth have never had an epidural. My first kid I was in labor for 40 hours (not exaggerating.) and I thought we were both going to die. My second one I had an epidural, had a 7 hour labor, I did not even feel a thing when she came out, I was laughing and smiling. BTW, most of the "gross" parts aren't the parts you are going to be seeing anyway, probably whoever is in there with you will though. I would do your research, know exactly what to expect, both good and bad, and watch some shows like "Birth Day" on Discovery Health, or "A Baby Story".
Oh yah and the worse part of the labor really isn't when the baby comes out, it's the contractions, you honestly can't imagine how bad they hurt, it's like think of the worse mentstrual cramps you have ever had in your life, now twist your stomach into a giant knot on top of that... Don't want to scare ya, just trying to be honest. Some people handle pain really good, some people don't.

Answer 3

Tell your Dr. everything that you have said here. Keep your doctor informed about how you are feeling. If your doctor is a a good doctor then he/she will work with you to get through this together. I hate going to the doctor. I am the worst about it, but after interviewing a couple of doctors I found one that really understood me. Even though I still dreaded the appointments, they were much easier with a doctor that understood me and was very kind. My doctor kept all the invasive procedures to a minimum. I only got checked for dilation when absolutely necessary etc.

Also my husband came with me to every doctors appointment. He was there during everything and that helped out so much. I got through it and I know you can too. I am even thinking about having another child, although I still don't look forward to being pregnant and all that it entails.

Good luck, and I know it will be O.K.

Answer 4

Abnormal pap smears happen to even healthy women, and yours was likely caused by HPV. HPV is a very common STI. Most sexually active men and women will probably acquire HPV at some point in their lives, and most people will have absolutely no idea they have it. Either you or your husband could have contracted HPV prior to your marriage, and you just found out now. The doctor can explain this to your husband, so don't add fuel to the fire by accusing HIM of cheating. Fortunately, HPV has not been shown to affect the unborn child and your care will continue as normal unless you have a high-risk strain of HPV (the ones that cause warts and such). Then, the doctor will monitor you closely as these strains can cause premature labor, and the warts (if any) may need to be removed prior to labor. After pregnancy, you should resume regular pap tests. Some HPV has been known to cause cervical cancer, and you need to keep on top of this because the sooner you know you have cervical cancer the better your outcome! Most HPV will go away on its own, without treatment of any kind.

Answer 5

Well of course you'll freak out, your squeezing something the size of a watermelon out of something the size of a lemon. It will hurt but guess what? You won't remember it when you see your little guy layin in front of you. Epidurals are great, I was able to enjoy going through labor (to a point). Don't sweat the small stuff, all those "crazy" instruments make childbirth ten times easier ;) Think of it that way. And Tell your OBGYN! They'll do everything in their power to help you out and make things easier. Just be honest with them :)

Answer 6

I don't know how to explain but, when the moment arrives you just don't care about anything but finish with the process fast. In that moment the nerves are so intense that your body fills up with adrenaline and It's not that horrible. Right in the moment the baby comes out you feel so relieved fisically and emotionally, somehow the tissue of your inside becomes like strechable. It's like nature works and if others like me been thru that and are happy you can do It too!

Answer 7

Trust me, you won't care. You'll amazed at how much you don't care about anything but getting that baby out of you, healthy and happy.
I told daddy that I did not under any circumstances want any pics taken of the baby coming out. Didn't want to know what my hoohoo looked like all open. He did it anyway, I don't remember him taking them, I didn't care who was in the room, nothing. All I wanted to do was do what I needed to do to get my child out of me so I could hold and love her.
Even now I look @ all the pics..all the blood because I tore so bad, the doctor sewing me up everything....it doesn't bother me a bit. When before I'd pass out at stuff like that. Every time I look at them I just remember my lovely child and go and hug her.

Answer 8

Its amazing what happens to your body when you are in labor. It just happens and sometimes you don't even have time to be nervous about it. I was the same way with my second daughter because it had been 8 years since I gave birth to my first one. It was like doing it for the first time. Trust me you will be ok and it is one day you will never forget. Good luck and congrats!!

Answer 9

I think that you'd better go to the library and get as many pregnancy books as you can. A good one is What To Expect When Expecting. I think that you can also rent films about childbirth, but I wouldn't do that until you read. I hope that you feel better about this soon, because your going to have to. Its not as bad as it seems. Now, go READ!!

Answer 10

It's not as bad as you think it is. Most doctors will say what there doing before doing anything to you. They tell you how it feels and there might be presure or mild cramping. You'll be fine just breath stay calm don't frek out it's not good for you and baby