30 weeks and worried.

tomi1010 · July 2015

I am 30 weeks as of today and I feel so unprepared. I'm a ftm and I am psyching myself out about labor/birth. My son is measuring large, at my 20 week ultrasound he was already in the 70th percentile! I don't know what scares me more: natural birth or the epidural needle. My thoughts are to try to do it naturally and then get the epidural if needed. Is there away that any other mamas mentally/physically prepared themselves for labor?

leighann1 · July 2015

For me, prenatal yoga, childbirth class at out hospital, and educating myself by reading reputable information.

I'm surprised at how much prenatal yoga is helping me feel prepared. I thought it would be a good thing to do for relaxation and my body, but there are so many techniques and positions we do in class that I can see helping immensely during labor.

brittanispears · July 2015

FTM here, too and from what I hear about the epidural is at the stage during labor you aren't too concerned about it. You just want the pain to cease. Plus, they numb the area where the needle goes anyway. I'd imagine it feels like pressure.

I'm not really afraid of labor and delivery at this point. I really just want to have my baby already. Some women probably enjoyed being pregnant but the only time I have is when I feel her moving around. That's pretty much it. It's too hot to carry around this extra weight and walk on swollen feet.

tomi1010 · July 2015

brittanispears said:
FTM here, too and from what I hear about the epidural is at the stage during labor you aren't too concerned about it. You just want the pain to cease. Plus, they numb the area where the needle goes anyway. I'd imagine it feels like pressure.

I'm not really afraid of labor and delivery at this point. I really just want to have my baby already. Some women probably enjoyed being pregnant but the only time I have is when I feel her moving around. That's pretty much it. It's too hot to carry around this extra weight and walk on swollen feet.

I feel you on that! Its been miserable here. But those little wiggles are increasing and it just makes me more excited for him to be here!

Cmoniga · July 2015

I was very worried about this too, also a FTM. But for some reason I feel so much better now that I've taken a child birth class. My husband and did a one day course and it really put my mind at ease. Of course I worry about complications but overall I feel so much better about the process bc I actually know more about what is going to happen internally with me and baby! I also had some fears about the epidural, but not bc if the needle just for fear of risks, and I also feel much better about it. I've decided I'm most likely getting it without much question!

Have you taken a class yet? They so a great job explaining the anatomy and what is happening. Also explain how to best prepare and make decisions such as when to head into the hospital and how to ease and work through the pain as much as possible.

ajhellmuth · July 2015

With my first I took a labor & delivery class but I was pretty young & wasn't prepared for the pain. I tried not to get an epidural but ultimately did. I've had 3 total and I've never even seen the needle!! And I don't want to! I would say talk to others who have gone without pain meds find out what worked for them, I'd even recommend watching YouTube videos to see exactly what labor can look like, and when the time comes just keep an open mind, try different things like exercise ball, shower etc. Until you find what works! It seems scary know but it will be such a blur once that baby is here. You'll do great!

Nukke · July 2015

I highly highly recommend the book 'Birthing from Within'. It's a little crunchy, but it really (REALLY) helped me mentally prepare for birth, and deal with my fears of both c-sections, natural birth, epidurals, etc, and enter the last weeks of my pregnancy with a calm mind. I didn't even know that I had some of the fears I did, but was able to confront them and deal with them well ahead of time.

I think mentally preparing yourself for birth (however you deliver your baby) is even more important than preparing yourself physically or with all the little baby essentials. Birth is incredibly intense, but it doesn't have to be scary.

I also recommend learning abut the 3 Rs for dealing with the pain of natural birth. They are rhythm, repetition and relaxation. I used them during my (med free) birth of my first and they worked SO WELL, I was convinced for hours that I was actually regressing because the pain was so easy to deal with.

However you end up delivering, be as mentally prepared as you can!

Sballerina · July 2015

What method do the three R's come from, @Nukke?

Nukke · July 2015

Sballerina said:

What method do the three R's come from, @Nukke?

I've never read anything about any of the different birthing methods, so your guess is as good as mine. You can find some youtube videos on it though. I learned about them in a birthing class put on by some local doulas and midwives. Google 'comfort measures 3 Rs' or something similar.

mandala1107 · July 2015

When I was pregnant with DD, i was also nervous. I read as many books and articles as I could. Talked with my doctor and took a class at the hospital. I ended up feeling very prepared. One thing, I was not prepared for was how when your water breaks, it keeps going! It's not one big gush and that's it. It's like it never stops! Lol. That shocked me. I didn't feel the epidural needle, but just communicate if you are going to have a contraction while they are inserting it. They will wait.

It was just a small pinch and then just a stream of cold. Then... Blissful relief! I can't provide any advice for labor since I ended up with a c-section, but I can encourage you to read up on a c-section delivery. I was insistent I was not having a section, and wasn't prepared at all for that.

30 weeks and worried.

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