Seriously, how bad is labour & birth?

[boobookee]

I would like to hear some birth stories as i am petrified of whats to come. even tho i am only 15 weeks pregnant i keep having panick attacks whenever anybody talks to me about it (i do suffer from anxiety) plus i helped deliver my baby sisters on seperate occasions. 1 went really badly and the other seemed much better but i am still debating wether to opt for a c section. Anybody give me any advice??

 

[suzzi]

dont worry to much and dont listen to the horror stories.

all labours are different, depends on all sorts like type of position babies in, what pain releif you opt for, how much you can cope with pain etc.

talk it throught with your mw she can reassure you and let you know what to expect.

my first i had epidural but it was quite long labour, with my second i only had shot of pethedine and was very fast and not that painful.

 

[HeppiBean]

There's a link to my birth story in my siggy if you wanna read It really is different for everyone xx

 

[nikki8092]

My first was long and drawn out contractions which i always thought were going to be majorly painful(they werent) as soon as my waters broke it got more painful but not unbearable. The only really painful bit is pushing the head out and that doesnt really last all that long. I didnt have any pain relief with paige. Jake was induced and as soon as my waters were broken it really hurt but again once the head was out that was the worst over. I had pethidine with him xx

 

[boobookee]

wow!

i am still petrified haha the thing i am worried about most is i cant stand the thought of me tearing or my cervix breaking i also cant stand anybody near me down "there" i just think it will be 1 big panick and dont want the baby being in distress as my baby sister wasnt breathing for over 4 mins after she was deliverd as she was distressed the whole labour because my mum was frantic! I am just so scared.

 

[rachcraig]

I was terrified of tearing and in the end I didn't even know it had happened and I only had gas and air. You'll be fine, once you have ur little one you won't even care. Best of luck hun xx

 

[EllieC]

Dont worry sweetie, when it all kicks off its like normal rules dont apply and you really wont mind who is down there, Labour is different each time and from person to person, however there is one thing that I am sure all mums will agree, there is no pain relief like being handed your baby, no matter what your labour was like it all pails in to insignificance that moment they are born. You'll understand. stop panicing and speak to your midwife, about any concerns you may have. xxx

 

[Mrs_B1981]

I was induced and it was all so quick when it finally kicked off. I went to 8cms dilated on just paracetamol, granted, it hurt but u cope. G&A worked a treat and to be honest looking back now I don't think of the pain, I just remember that amazing feeling of my little man appearing. U soon forget once LO is with u. I'd do labour again at the drop of a hat. Enjoy your pregnancy and don't get wrapped up in worry about childbirth!

 

[Dragonfly Fi]

stay mobile, keep your moans low, dont give in to the hype surrounding birth and you will be FINE

its like bad period pain, but it comes in waves so its a bit easier to deal with

the only bit i found really difficult was the last half an hour and then its nearly over

You will be fine, you were made to do this! xx

 

[KellyHook]

Seriously everyone is different, but i had 2 fantastic labours, wouldn't even say they were painful, 1st i didnt even know i was in labour just thought i had a stomach ache and went in and found out i was 10cm dilated, so id done all at home. 2nd i went in at 5-6cm after last time being so far dilated. both labours under 5hours... i really enjoyed it. i know its hard but i think the best thing is just to stay calm and let your body do what its ment to. x

 

[Sarah13]

Try not to stress, like the others said everyone is different and there are good stories out there too. I was lucky enough to have 2 easy short labours without pain relief, my first was 4 hours and second 1 1/2 hours, you can read my birth story if you want a positive story, you can read the link to mine in my ticker. I'd also recommend natal hypnotherapy as well to help you relax during labour x

 

[mummy2b19]

Im terrified too this is my first and like you the idea of a tear scares the crap out of me and I have a really low pain threshold but my mum was less than 2 hours with all three of her children and only had gas and air with all three (im hoping to take after her) but remember you only ever really read about the labours that are bad you never rember the good ones a friend of mine felt nothing but a slight twinge and had the baby within an hour. stay positive about the experiance look into every diffrent option avaliable to you, if you ever want to chat just message me xxx

 

[titch]

If you're scared of the birth I seriously recommend getting a hypnobirthing book. natal hypnotherapy is supposed to be good but I got the mongan method book and CD. I will seriously give you some perspective.

I had a c section and I dont know anyone who would prefer that to a normal birth. before I got pregnant I used to see c-section as 'avoiding labour' but to be honest, I had a labour and then a section and Id labour again but I hope to god i never need an other section in my life!

 

[Jaxx01]

I dont think you cant 'opt' for a section can you??

I was induced with my son as my waters went and no contractions started...and it really wasnt that bad..thing is you need to be as calm as possible when you start labour...the calmer you are the easier it is

Im sure it will all be fine hun xx

 

[Dragonfly Fi]

i know its a horrible analogy, but if you think about having sex in a comfortable calm way, its going to be okay and your going to be relaxed
but if you have sex when you dont want too, or against your will Then its going to hurt

labour is a lot like that, you have to be calm and collected and relaxed or it WILL hurt more, so just keep yourself calm (and remember the loooow moans, they are great)

 

[Bunnykins]

I agree with what the other girls said, a calm relaxed labour is a much better labour, your muscles are working to open your cervix so if your tense the muscles have to work twice as hard and hence more pain. I can defo recommend natalhypnobirthing it worked a treat for me and all I had to do was listen to a cd once a day (my birth story is on a link below in my signature) obviously every baby, body & labour are different so no one knows what will happen but staying calm will really help. I tore and I never felt a thing, I was convinced I hadn't!!! Your body is designed to do this and your baby is so worth it, I'd walk over knives for my little guy!!!

 

[boobookee]

Big thanks to all you brave woman who have put me at ease =D words cant describe how grateful i am for all your help and support!

I think i will go through with a natural birth (dont think i have a choice anyway!) haha but from by what yous have all told me, youve put it into perspective for me and made me realise that yes wel all have to do it pain or no pain but getting your baby at the end of it all counteracts all the pain in the world =)

I am most definatly be trying natal hypnobirthing and talking to my midwife about it. I have never heard of this before but it sounds really good. Thanks again all & i shall be reading all your birthing stories, theres nothing better than looking into other peoples differant expiriences =)

Yous have really put me at ease, i know it sounds silly just from people writing a few words but nobody understands how much its helped already!!

 

[i.love]

Just wanted to say that I had a second degree tear but I also didn't feel it happening at all! And the pushing stage was the easiest for me. Contractions were painful, but I'm sure I would have coped much better if my mw didn't tell me that I progressed much less than I actually did (my birth story link is in my signature if you want to read it).

Try to do pelvic floor exercises and perineal massage - you have plenty of time, and it should really help with the tearing! And i think that actively preparing for labour this way will make you feel more in control.

Best of luck Hun xxx

 

[masonowen]

With both my labours I didn,t go in till I was 6cm, the contractions were not too painful, rather like bad period pains, so I weren,t sure it was labour till the midwife came and examined me and told us to go in. My first was back to back and that was more painful and hard to deal with because I had horrid backache. The midwife had to break my waters just before I started to push and that made the pain a bit worse and I suddenly felt like I had to poo!!! With it being my first I was surprised because I thought i,d have the pain in my foof so I was trying not to push incase I did poo, but I couldn,t help it and after about an hour I delivered my son. I was surprised it took an hour coz it only felt like 5 mins. Whilst I was pushing I noticed a squirt of blood hit the midwife and just thought that was coz his head was crowning but I had a second degree tear and didn,t feel a thing. I was quiet scared of tearing too but when it came to it I wasn,t bothered.

My second was a water birth and it was brilliant, I felt the difference in the contractions straight away. The pool was quiet big and really warm which helped me relax and labour progressed quickly. When it came to pushing it was easier in the pool coz I was free to move and I could crawl around on my hands and knees which would have been hard on the floor not to mention i,d probably look like an idiot!! I was worried about tearing again but thankfully I didn,t, I was so relaxed and chilled out I didn,t know his head was out till the midwife spotted it. I,d defintly recommend a water birth and i,m gonna try and have one this time.

 

[masonowen]

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