Scared = Delayed Labor

PaulandPregnantChelsea

I'm 38 weeks, baby boy is low as all get out and I'm having BH all day err'day... But every time I think it could be *it* - I FREAK out.

It's going to HURT.  A lot. 

Today, I was talking to a clinician at my med school and this crazy awesome doula who delivered babies on an indian reservation and they were saying how big of an impact the mother's mental status has on the progression of labor.  The doula told me that if a woman wasn't progressing during labor, usually she would just have to get the woman to talk about why she was afraid and then - BAM - Baby.

In case I'm the one slowing down the whole show, she gave me some pointers that I thought I'd pass along!  Make sure your JAW and SHOULDERS are relaxed. Don't clench, and keep that tongue on the floor of your mouth. Remember, when you're tense, you activate your sympathetic nervous system, so your body is thinking "shit, I'm being chased by a tiger, I can't have a baby right now."

Our babies will come when they (and we!) are ready.  So, let's be ready!

jennypolkadots

I am no where near as far along as you are but I understand the fear. It took me years to get to a mental state that I was okay with getting pregnant. Granted, I am pretty young at 24 so we needed some time anyways. I always wanted to go natural, but the blood and actuality of the birth freaked me out a bit. Now I find that if I start thinking negative things, I whip out my Ina May's Guide to Childbirth and read my highlighted sections that really connected with me. Truly, I am so excited for the actual experience of giving birth now. I get giddy just thinking about it. Not just the baby, but the actual working through contractions and working with my midwives who I love. For some reason I have never envisioned it to be very painful but most women in my family have had very easy and fast births so it is easy for me to not be scared of the pain no matter how many naysayers keep trying to make me think natural birth will be horrendous (when none of them have done it, of course). I see it more as just a physical challenge and one that I get to share with my husband in a really intimate way. Hopefully I still feel this way at 40 weeks  

MsMacual

Speaking from experience- it helped a ton to stay relaxed during the early stages of labor and the days leading up to it (I really wanted to go late, but maybe I was too relaxed!).  I was 1 cm 2 days before I went into labor and was 10 cm 4 hours after my water broke.