Just a few weeks left and feeling a little unsure of myself

Nomer

First, I am a second-time mom and my first delivery went beautifully natural, as planned. It was only 16 months ago so my memory of it is fresh enough. Now, I am almost 37 weeks (my first was born at almost 39 weeks) and I am dreading going through labor again. I had a great experience and couldn't really ask for it to have gone any smoother... awesome OB, no tearing, completely to plan. I just didn't expect that this time around I would even consider NOT going med-free, but I find myself thinking that way a lot. Maybe it is because I won't have the same support I had with my first: my mom came and a family friend, who happens to be a midwife. It will just be me and my husband this time.

I'm not sure what my problem is because I know that going natural is, what I believe to be, the best start for my baby. I guess I just wondered if any other moms had felt this way too.

sschwege

I can't imagine there are many moms out there who don't feel that way, whether it's their first or tenth.  So you are certainly not alone!

I worry because DD's birth was picture perfect and I'm scared the bar was set so high that I have no where to go but down.  

What you and I have going for us that we didn't last time is we don't just think we can do it, we KNOW we can!  Stay focused, take it one contraction at a time, and know that you are not alone so many women will be laboring with you on your baby's birth day!  You can do it mama!  Our babies' births will be beautiful because they will be uniquely their own.  

vlevitt

I'm a FTM so don't have the lived experience you had with your first (and how amazing that it went so well!), but i can relate to your sense of feeling less support without your mom and experienced friend with you this time.  do you have the option of having a doula with you?  you probably already know this, but sometimes you can find one who will attend your labour and birth for free or a low fee if they are just starting out. 

otherwise, i'll echo pp:  you've already done this once, so you have the real-life experience of knowing that your body can do it.  you were perfectly engineered to have your baby naturally.  you can do it! 

 

Tarta

Oh I totally wavered back and forth from about 20 weeks on. Even with my Hypnobabies training, I wasn't sure I wanted to do it, especially after 2 days of prodromal labor. But, when the time came and active labor started, I never really thought about doing it any other way. I was rather relieved by that, because the days leading up to DS's birth I was not convinced I'd stick with the plan.

Maybe once you know you're in labor and your baby is nearly here you'll also be so focused on the task at hand that you won't really be sitting around wondering if you should ask for meds. That's pretty much how it worked for me. I think it's a matter of having idle time right now that really messes with your head. )

Hang in there mama!  

Nomer

Thanks for the responses... I am feeling better about things. Of course, it may just be that I am getting more and more uncomfortable being pregnant and will do what it takes to get this baby out! In all seriousness though, I have given the doula thing some thought and may look into it more. The fact of the matter is that it is just not a "fun" experience and- amazing, challenging, memorable definitely but- not one I am looking forward to repeating regardless of how excited I am to meet this baby.

For the FTMs, absolutely it can be done and not by just the hardcore or high-pain-threshold people but all of us can do it. It's just about preparation, determination, and that little bit of luck that things go smoothly.