afraid of labor :(

theofania08 · March 2011

anyone else scared about giving birth?? im so scared of tearing and needing stiches down there... or the doctor having to cut me...for the moms that have been through labor how bad was it??what did it feel like?? i think people r trying to scare me

is it really that bad??

kimbo1216 · March 2011

Sorry. I'm a first timer too. I would recommend reading the 3rd tri board (at least a couple of birth stories there per day) and the Birth Stories board. That may help you.

Also, here is a great link from the Natural Birth board (it's from a while ago): What does labor pain feel like. You may or may not be considering unmedicated, but this has a lot of great stories, explanations, and descriptions. A few of the woman had planned on going unmedicated but were unable to.

Hope this helps.

calgal1683 · March 2011

Are you planning on getting an epidural? If so, then as far down there, I didn't feel a thing. And I had to have an episiotomy(sp?). I'm not going to lie, labor was hard, that's why they call it labor. But trust me, after your LO is here, you will forget all about the pain.

erinlovesdavid · March 2011

I'm planning on getting an epidural, so I'm not so much afraid of labor/delivery as I am of the recovery afterward. I'm terrified of tearing or needing an episiotomy, and how long that will take to heal. I'm a first-timer too, so not much help. Just wanted to commiserate, I guess!

calgal1683 · March 2011

The recovery was probably harder then I thought it was going to be. Just going #1 is about a 10-15 minute process if you have an episiotomy. And don't even think about going #2 for a while! That scared me the most. It took about a week or so to start feeling a little better down there.

theofania08 · March 2011

oh maaaaan! i wish my husband could go through labor too lol i read somewhere that doing a perineal massage or having sex twice a day or everyday the last 5 weeks can prevent tearing because it stretches u out for that moment...oh man! yes im getting an epideral but im afraid of that too does the epideral hurt?? i cry about this im so scared!

calgal1683 · March 2011

The epidural hurts for just a second. But honestly, the contractions hurt a lot worse and last a lot longer.

aritziaa · March 2011

I am also really scared! Of everything, even of the epidural. I don't want to tear or be cut! Yuck!

breezy79 · March 2011

I went all natural (still waiting for my medal) with DS and I tore and needed stitches... at that point I didn't even feel it. (honestly!!) I was so overjoyed with being done with labour and holding on to my newborn son that I didn't even realize until after that I had torn.

THIS time however I plan on having an epidural. The pain of contractions and pushing is just far too much for me to deal with again.

mesr · March 2011

breezy79:
I went all natural (still waiting for my medal) with DS and I tore and needed stitches... at that point I didn't even feel it. (honestly!!) I was so overjoyed with being done with labour and holding on to my newborn son that I didn't even realize until after that I had torn.

THIS time however I plan on having an epidural. The pain of contractions and pushing is just far too much for me to deal with again.

i also went med-free with dd, and by the point she came out, i didn't care if i tore or not (i did, but just a first-degree tear). for me, the contractions were very painful but the pushing felt great (really!) because i was actually doing something. while i'm not looking forward to those contractions again, i am really looking forward to the part where i get to meet my new baby. and to put it in perspective, the painful part really isn't all that long, just a few hours.

skidaisy · March 2011

I could have written this post! Yesterday I started crying because ladies at work were telling their horror stories at lunch one day. My DH calmed me down, saying "Honey, those ladies didn't have modern technology like epidurals and stuff---they are old!!" He made me feel so much better!

akayf · March 2011

I had an epi. I was induced and they started by breaking my water and hooking me up to pitocin at 7PM. By 1 AM, the contractions were too strong for me to sleep through and I knew I needed some sleep so I would have energy to push. The epi was no big deal...it really felt just like a little pinch. I will admit, I have a large mole on my lower back that had to be removed several years ago. The shot they gave me to numb the area before removing the mole hurt more than getting the epi did!!!!!!

I also tore and needed an episiotomy. I had a very easy recovery from both. I took advil the afternoon he was born and then again in the middle of the night. They gave me another dose the following AM and then I didn't take anything.

I had no problem using the bathroom. For #2, the nurses advised me to eat plenty of fruit so I wouldn't get constipated.

jcsumm0 · March 2011

Don't listen to the horror stories! Surround yourself with positive ideas and feelings about birth! Yes, it is going to be hard work, but millons of women have done it before us and we can do it too. I am planning on going epidural free, so I just try to read a lot of positive literature and birth stories and I am actually excited about giving birth. (Yes, I know I may be deluded .

For me, being educated about it makes me a LOT less nervous.

Rindyree · March 2011

By the time you reach the end of your 3rd tri, you'll be so ready to have the baby you'd go through about anything to get it out (literally)! It wasn't as bad as the horrible stories I'd heard. I did get an epi (I'm going to try to go natural this time around) w/both deliveries and my doc did an episiotomy (sp?). Although I don't think thats routine anymore. I healed up quickly and was back to normal after 6 weeks (at least down there..my belly on the other hand...) The worst part is the pushing, but thats the quickest part of labor and I wasn't prepared for all of the progress/regress with the baby coming so far and then slipping back after the contraction. But that is actually a good thing, you don't want to be a human torpedo this is nature's way of gently (can I use that word referring to delivery?) stretching the birth canal, so don't let it discourage you! You'll do fine, women do this everyday and go on to have more children. Once you hold that precious little bundle in your arms it'll all be worth it:)

aniceucchik · March 2011

Besides the contractions before hand, the only vadge pain I had during delivery was the ring of fire. If you have the epi then you wont feel them stitching you up, at least I didnt. Also I assume that if you have the epi you wont feel them cut if you choose that instead of tearing, but IDK for sure. The ring of fire is pretty bad-it was the worst part of the entire 39 hours. My contraction stopped and his head was half out so I ripped really bad...

I was really afraid to poo afterwards, since I ripped from end to end, but the stitches are on the inside if that makes any sense, so it wasnt bad at all. You get a pain reliever spray which is nice and the water squrt bottle is great for cooling things down and for cleaning after bathroom trips. I did have some wicked internal hemis for many months afterwards, but I pushed for over 2 hours, so that is to be expected. I expected tons of bleeding also, but it was just like having a heavy period for a couple weeks then it tapered off.

I did have a bit of trouble healing in places and I had to have things re-cut at 4m pp to take out some granulation tissue that had grown in, but again, thats not common I dont think. Overall I think I had a pretty rough experience, but it was all tolerable...except the ring of fire...lol.

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