scared.

maggiedm

hey ladies... so im hoping this is normal... but im totally scared/nervous about giving birth.....my biggest fear (and i know its stupid) is that i wont be able to breath.

My pregnancy has gone amazingly well.. and the baby is growing perfectly... this is my first pregnancy and I really want a natural delivery...

Any advice you can give?! I want to be home for as long as possible before I go in to the hospital - Im hoping to walk a lot during labor and i heard spending some time in the shower helps also....

My mother had me and my two sisters all natual deliveries.. and I really want to do it also - she said her deliveries were all very quick - so im hoping i take after her.....

any advice? anyone had a natural delivery before - i'm looking for some words of wisdom.. hahaha

hope you're all having a great day!

 

 

LindseyJW

what are you doing to prepare yourself (body and mind) for your labor? it is easy to feel the task is overwhelming if you don't feel confident in your preparations. are you taking a birthing class? reading? talking with your partner about your expectations?

doing labor breathing exercises may help you gain confidence. you do need to let go of your fear about not being able to breath so that you can focus on the task at hand.

i find the following exercise helpful:

allow yourself ~10 minutes to fully relax. think actively about relaxing each part of your body, one at a time. sometimes, people find it hard to relax their minds because we have so much racing through all the time. if this is a problem for you, imagine you are at the top of a hill (think Sound of Music) and allow the breeze to blow right through your mind and take all the thoughts out with it. then think about the fears, anxieties and concerns you are having relative to your pregnancy/labor. all the feelings to intensify, and then imagine that you are pulling them out of your body. put them in a bucket, dig a hole in the ground and bury them there.

G/L!

Pookie's_Girl

It's totally normal to be scared, especially with this being your first baby and you don't have much idea what to expect; I'm in the same boat as you right now. What's really been a huge help to me has been reading The Guide to Childbirth by Ina May Gaskin. She reminds us that birth is a completely normal process that doesn't have to be scary. It's a very encouraging book, and I feel a must-read for anyone who wants to go natural. She includes some relaxation techniques in there too, and, the entire first part of the book is full of positive non-scary birth stories, to counteract the horror stories that we hear about. I would definitely recommend that you check it out

maggiedm

Thanks so much for your advice... Yes, I have taken Natural Childbirth courses - I'm also reading a ton and discussing all of my thoughts with my husband about what I hope to accomplish.

My mother has been a great influence for me and we've spoken a lot about what she experienced during her labor.

I know I will be able to do it - when the time comes I will focus... everything just feels so surreal right now...

My pregnancy flew by... we are so excited for her arrival - my family has been extremely supportive and my husband is over joyed.

I guess it just feels like I'm dreaming...  

 

maggiedm

Thanks so much! I will get the book!

 

LindseyJW

some other books you might read include:

spiritual midwifery (also by Ina May)

the thinking woman's guide to a better birth (henci goer)

gentle birth choices (barbara harper)

hypnobirthing: the mongan method (marie mongan)

 

try to take some time each day to reflect on what you learned in your class. women have done this every day of the year since humans walked this planet. reading positive birth stories and doing the exercise i suggested above will help you find the mental space to boost your labor confidence.

G/L!