Anyone scared of birth? No flames pls.

coolmama2009

Hi ladies.  I admit it I'm scared of birth.  Anyone else?  I'm just being honest and want to hear other's opinions.  I'm not scared of the pain part but of the changes that happen "down south" and the complications of tearing etc.  My OB said well you'll never go back to normal...but it will be a new normal.  What the heck is that? You know what I mean.  Any thoughts would be great if you'd share.  Please...no flames.  Thanx.

liza0828

Of course.  The unknown is always scary. 

getnmarried910

I'm not, and I wasn't with my previous two, but I think what you're feeling is completely normal.  I am always more scared of pregnancy than the delivery! (I get a rush with delivery). But I had some complications that reoccurred in my second pregnancy and they are saying it's possible it may happen every time.  After a while, I felt like I was back to normal "down south." 

Anna&Matt

I think everyone's scared or anxious to an extent.

S/Cambio

I'm very scared but at the same time I'm also excited to be holding my baby.

New normal? Not sure what she meant by that. 

kristie2422

YES!!! I got my hospital book at my last appt and 10cm is NOT as big as I thought it was. The Dr said "it's big enough to push a baby's head out of." I'm pretty sure my niece's head was bigger than that!

ablou

It all scares me, but mostly the weeks afterwards stuff... the bleeding, the clots, possibly tearing/ episiotomy, incontinence, etc...

I'm crossing my fingers for a "new normal!!" I am actually hoping that things loosen up a bit down south, though.  Sex with DH has always been a bit, um, tight, and I could never go as long as we would like to because of our incongruous sizes.  

coolmama2009

S/Cambio:

New normal? Not sure what she meant by that. 

I know!!! I'm guessing things just don't go back to the way they were but that's the norm that you'll have to live with now.  lol  i dunno...

aegrimm

It won't look exactly the same, but it won't be grossly disfigured either.

And there's nothing wrong with being afraid of it. I was so afraid of the pain (even though I wanted an epi) I didn't go into labor. My OB said I was psyching myself out. I had to be induced. But once it got started I realized it wasn't as bad as I was expecting.

Things def feel the same now. It felt a little different the first few months after birth, but after that I couldn't tell a difference and neither could DH.

Barring some catastrophic event you'll never know the difference. 

Desert*Flower

I am completely back to normal after my first. I had an 8lb, 6oz. baby, and he was face up.  I delivered vaginally, and had a 3rd degree tear. I didn't feel a thing when it happened. I was a little sore for a few weeks, but everything went back to how it used to be. I am also very petite. I know it's hard, but try not to worry

mrsmegs06

I'm super scared. 

MilesOfSmiles

I'm actually not. Ignorance is bliss, I suppose.

coolmama2009

Desert*Flower:

II had an 8lb, 6oz. baby, and he was face up.  . I am also very petite. I know it's hard, but try not to worry

 You're petite and you had a 8 lb baby!??! OMG.  I'm a size 0 and I'm 5'2 pre pregnancy of course...now I don't know what size I am.  lol.  that's part of my fear too is my own anatomy. 

uofibabe

I'm just scared of the unknown....not knowing when labor is going to start, where I'll be at, who is going to get me to the hospital, whether I'll be early or late ....the list goes on and on with worries but isnt that part of the excitement of being pregnant?!?!

Desert*Flower

coolmama2009:

Desert*Flower:

II had an 8lb, 6oz. baby, and he was face up.  . I am also very petite. I know it's hard, but try not to worry

 You're petite and you had a 8 lb baby!??! OMG.  I'm a size 0 and I'm 5'2 pre pregnancy of course...now I don't know what size I am.  lol.  that's part of my fear too is my own anatomy. 

Yep! I'm 5'2" and about 100lbs pre pregnancy. I am also very "small boned" (my wedding ring is a size 3 1/4). I thought for sure I would need a c-section, in fact, my doctor scheduled one at 40 weeks. I went into labor 10 days early and decided to try for a vaginal delivery and instructed my obgyn to perform a c-section at the first sign of distress. I pushed for 2 1/2 hours and my beautiful baby boy was here.     

salinaterri

I am absolutely scared; this is my first baby and I just don't know what to expect. Both of my sisters have children and did not have complicated deliveries, but you never know.

amryn

I was definitely scared, but feel much better after talking to my mom and others who've delivered naturally. Found out they had to use forceps on me and so my mom had a lot of tearing. She said the recovery wasn't that bad and she felt totally normal down there a few weeks later. Then she went on to have 3 more kids, all naturally, so I feel much better. Also, these days you can have the nurse massage down there so it opens more easily. Another thing I've picked up from shows and books is that when they tell us not to push, and we push anyway, that can cause the tearing 'cause we force it. I don't know what it will really be like, but the info. has made me feel much more prepared to handle whatever comes.

eee23

I was not scared at all with DD and ended up having to have a c-sec. This time around I am more scared because I want to do a VBAC and know there can be complications (as there are with any type of birth).