Anxiety about childbirth tips

[Suzesnooze]

So I’m actually having a planned c section tomorrow, does anyone have any experience of this? I keep feeling a mixture of excitement and absolute nervousness and keep crying. I think it’s the waiting that’s awful!

Having had an emergency C-section and a planned one the planned one was 100 times better!

Not sure how much things have changed since mine but they normally shave you first on the ward then you walk down to theatre and bring a pillow with you. You go into theatre and sit on the side of the bed holding the pillow to your front while they give you the spinal (I don't remember any pain) then they lay you down on the operating table and check you're numb. Then your partner is allowed to come in and sits by your head. They put a sheet up where you can't see then they get the baby out. It doesn't take long at all. Then while they're sewing you up you get to see the baby etc. Go to recovery for half an hour then they wheel you and baby back to the ward.

Good luck!

 

[Devondoll]

I had an emergency c section as baby was stuck. I hardly remember it, but I asked them to take the sheet down so I could watch and they said no the one bit I remember is after baby was out, they had to do something and said 'it will feel like we're washing dishes in your stomach' and it did! So bizarre. Wasnt traumatic though and I wasnt scared. I just struggled afterwards, getting up to walk around etc. I believe a planned section is much calmer from what I've been told. Good luck xx

 

[Unknown1]

So I’m actually having a planned c section tomorrow, does anyone have any experience of this? I keep feeling a mixture of excitement and absolute nervousness and keep crying. I think it’s the waiting that’s awful!

Congratulations! Mine was kind of planned, I had a failed induction so after two days I asked for a c section. The waiting was fine for me more a feeling of excitement, it became very real when they read the risks out. Because it was planned it was very relaxed, the radio was on and everyone was very friendly.

Make sure to keep on top of your pain relief, get moving and stand up as straight as you can as soon as possible. The only thing I’d ask for next time is anti sickness medication before hand as the morphine made me vomit for 24 hours.

 

[Vermilion]

My due date is in Two weeks so it could happen any day now.
I’ve had some mild contractions now and everytime it happens I sort of panic. It’s a mixture of being scared of Labour but mostly it’s about what comes after and I do feel a bit guilty about not being totally excited about having a baby.
we tried for a baby and wanted it but during the whole pregnancy I haven’t felt fully excited about the prospect of becoming a mum... ugh, mum guilt already starting.

Anyway, about birth and anxiety, yes, I was anxious and I still am to some extent. However, I also know that I can not control what’s going to happen and how. I can only believe in my body and know, that even if the experience is bad, the time is limited you know? It’s not going to last forever, there will be an end. And hopefully I will then feel the joy of holding my baby in my arms.
With all the covid19 stuff going on I haven’t really felt like venturing into hypnobirthing but I guess I know the main mindset.
Try to believe in you and your body, you will know what to do and you will have a midwife there with you to guide you along.

we can do this!!!

 

[Jdottt13]

Hi, with my first I was also apprehensive about going into labour & what it was going to feel like and whether I would be able to cope. I found that the closer I got to my due date the more I just wanted something to start I was feeling so big and fed up it’s actually a relief when the pains start! Looking back I think I kind of used elements of hypnobirthing without really researching/practising it. Breathing through each contraction and imagining them as waves whilst keeping a steady rhythm on my birthing ball were what helped me the most! I managed 10 hours at home before going to the hospital. One piece of advice would be to continue to drink and eat little and often in labour. I didn’t because I was feeling so sick - I was really dehydrated (midwife practically forced me to drink a jug of water once she’d tested my wee lol) and eat regularly to keep your strength up I was sick towards the end but I did feel better after lol. Best of luck & remember there’s always pain relief if it all gets a bit much xx

 

[BettyCrocker]

My due date is in Two weeks so it could happen any day now.
I’ve had some mild contractions now and everytime it happens I sort of panic. It’s a mixture of being scared of Labour but mostly it’s about what comes after and I do feel a bit guilty about not being totally excited about having a baby.
we tried for a baby and wanted it but during the whole pregnancy I haven’t felt fully excited about the prospect of becoming a mum... ugh, mum guilt already starting.

Anyway, about birth and anxiety, yes, I was anxious and I still am to some extent. However, I also know that I can not control what’s going to happen and how. I can only believe in my body and know, that even if the experience is bad, the time is limited you know? It’s not going to last forever, there will be an end. And hopefully I will then feel the joy of holding my baby in my arms.
With all the covid19 stuff going on I haven’t really felt like venturing into hypnobirthing but I guess I know the main mindset.
Try to believe in you and your body, you will know what to do and you will have a midwife there with you to guide you along.

we can do this!!!

Please don’t feel any guilt over not being exited about becoming a mum. What you are feeling is completely normal!!!! Honestly, once your baby is born, everything goes out of the window and you are starting from scratch - none of us have any idea what we are in for and you literally have to take it a day at a time and just do whatever works best for you as a family. Trust your body - but don’t dwell on it. Take medical intervention when needed or wanted. Rip up any rule book or pre-convinced ideas on how you imagine it’s all going to go and just embrace it for what it is. It’s all you can do. It’s all any of us are doing.

You will be fine Mama. Good luck xxx

 

[Jelly Bean]

So I’m actually having a planned c section tomorrow, does anyone have any experience of this? I keep feeling a mixture of excitement and absolute nervousness and keep crying. I think it’s the waiting that’s awful!

Ooh good luck!
It will all be fine and you'll have a lovely baby today!
Very many congratulations in advance. x

 

[DevaVictrix]

I’ve just reached my third trimester and I’m so excited I only have a few weeks left to meet my baby.

However, it’s just hitting me the reality that I am going to have to get through labour first. Any tips on how to stay calm?

this literally could be written about me. I had my first baby back in October, had no idea about labour at all (no big sisters etc). Mine literally could not have been worse, it was truly horrific and I thought at one point this was actually how I was going to die. I was 12 days overdue and their induced labour did not go to plan, it sent my baby’s heart rate soaring. They had to cancel it 6 hours in and just try to break my waters themselves, but couldn’t reach my cervix. The doctor couldn’t do it and he actually said “I’m going to stop because I don’t want to traumatise you.” He wanted to get an anaesthetist in to give me a spine block “so he could do it without me feeling”. Long story short, there was an emergency somewhere, and the anaesthetist “wouldn’t be back for a few hours”, so a senior midwife insisted she could reach my cervix. Well that was literally the most traumatic experience of my life, and even through all the drugs and gas I remember staring at the ceiling and SCREAMING for my life. In the end I got a spine block and a few hours later my baby girl was born. The whole way through my pregnancy, all I was told was “you don’t want an epidural.” Flip me...the dang epidural was the only good part of the whole 12 hours. My advice to you....feel confident to ask for an epidural if you feel you want / need one. There really is no medal at the end of it for getting by without any pain relief.
I don’t mean to scare you by writing all this. I just wanted to share my experience, because to be quite honest, I was not mentally prepared for the experience of labour, no one was honest enough to tell me about how awful it could be. I’m not saying your birth experience will be horrendous, you could well be totally fine and sail through it. Obviously your baby will make it all worth it in the end. But my experience was so bad I could never ever ever have a ‘push labour’ again. If I get pregnant again, I will have to fight for a C-section.
I wish you all the best, and just remember, epidurals can be total life-savers.

 

[Notgonnalie]

Anyone worried about birth labour and all things pregnancy you need to read the positive birth book by milli hill. You can get it on kindle and read it on your phone! It will give you the confidence and go through all possible eventualities.

birth plans are controversial but milli explains the importance of going through various plans so that if you don’t get your plan A you have discussed what’s important to you if you go on to give birth plan B,C or even D. While we can’t control when it happens we can have discussions about what is important to us like who do you want to cut the cord, do you want to check baby’s sex yourself or do you want the midwife to tell you, how do you feel about pain relief, do you want them to offer you pain relief or would you feel better if it was you who asked if u felt you needed it.Do you want certain music to be played. I think it’s so important to go through all the various things that could happen so that if something does you feel that you have had a think about it already and what’s important to you can be considered.

I was so confident in giving birth to my second after reading the book and I didn’t get my plan A but I believe I didn’t suffer birth trauma because I had discussed a plan B and what it would look like so I was satisfied that I still had a say in my birth!
You can do it and you will do it! Enjoy it it’s one of the most amazing journeys you will ever be on! Xxxx

 

[clt1992]

Hi everyone thanks for all the advice, the section was really successful and not half as bad as I thought it would be, in fact it was absolutely fine!

 

[Suzesnooze]

Hi everyone thanks for all the advice, the section was really successful and not half as bad as I thought it would be, in fact it was absolutely fine!

Congratulations!

 

[Unknown1]

Hi everyone thanks for all the advice, the section was really successful and not half as bad as I thought it would be, in fact it was absolutely fine!

Congratulations Mama. I’m glad it wasn’t bad as you thought. Take your time to heal and accept help

 

[Ladyloulou35]

I think all women are scared, you are given a date and you know on that day you will have the worst pain ever! As soon as my due date had gone, literally the next day I realised that the baby was going to have to come out and the more relaxed I was the easier it was going to be. For me it was a lot of mind over matter, I went in had a two hour labour then he popped out, no drugs no nothing , it was like have a massive poo, I realise I was lucky as I know some women have a really hard time, but thinking positive will have a massive effect I think. I have to add that although I had a great birth I had nine months of hell, I was lighter the day I gave birth than the day I got pregnant, I was so sick, often in hospital on a drip, so I feel I had earned my easy labour lol.