Scared about childbirth!!

Labor hurts. Yes- it’s a fact. It does hurt; HOWEVER, it is not the kind of pain you would imagine. It’s not a sharp pain, it’s not a ripping pain. It is a manageable pain and it is a bearable pain. If it ISN’T there are things you can do to help feel better that work. Walking helps a lot, squatting on a birthing ball helps a lot, and the hot tub can help too. Massage, controlled breathing, and groaning also help. That crap they show in the movies is ridiculous- I didn’t hear a single woman scream the entire time I stayed in the hospital (and they were all labor/delivery/recovery rooms). You probably have a Hollywood induced fear of labor. It’s not that horrible! If it were, we’d have stopped giving birth thousands of years ago! I promise you, it’s not that bad.

If you feel, at any point, like it is too much to bear, they have pain relieving drugs that work wonders! There is no shame whatsoever in getting an epidural. After several hours of stalled labor with intense contractions, I was unable to take it anymore (mentally frustrated and wasn’t emotionally supported) so I went for the epidural. I was able to sleep for a few hours, and my body relaxed and I stopped fighting the contractions. I was able to get fully dialated in that time period and woke up ready to push.

I had a severe epesiotomy because my son’s cord was compressed and his heartrate was slowed. With the epidural, I did not feel it AT ALL- not even a little pinch or pressure- NOTHING. Pushing is pretty damn cool if you ask me. You figure it out- it’s like you bear down through your bottom like you’re really trying to poop. Once you’ve figured it out (you’ll do that fast…) you can work on pushing harder and more effectively. Most of this stuff comes naturally. Think about it- women only REALLY started giving birth in hospitals with all of this extra stuff about 80 years ago. Before then they just popped the little ones out at home. You are going to do JUST FINE! You’ll have the support of a labor and delivery team and they’ve done this thousands of times before- they can coach you through every step. If you haven’t yet, read a few books on labor and delivery. I recommend What to Expect When You’re Expecting- they’ve got a really helpful section on labor in the back of their book. Take a class- you should anyways. Knowledge is empowering, and, even better, it’s COMFORTING. Once you’ve had the baby, What to Expect in the First Year is really good too. Always consult your pediatrician when in doubt. And I recommend getting some Gripe Water- it has saved my son from tummy troubles, and my sanity!