What was your biggest labor fear?

I'm reading about how afraid people are of different things on the pregnancy board.

What were your biggest labor fears?
Did they happen?
Were they as bad as you thought they'd be?

For me, I was afraid of a c-birth, having an IV (hate needles), needing an epi and the episiotomy.

I didn't have the c-section, had to have an IV bc I went so early, didnt need the epi & needed an episiotomy.

The only thing that was worse than I though wsa the IV (I'm still a baby about them) since I had to sleep with it in. Labor was much easier than I ever imagined.

eta. Oh yes, and dying during childbirth...which didn't happen (obviously)

Message edited 3/28/2006 12:56:19 PM.

Re: What was your biggest labor fear?

My only fear was having a c section. I really had no fear of anything else and was just so excited to have a natural childbirth.

Re: What was your biggest labor fear?

I was afraid of the pain, IV, epi, and getting cut.

The pain was worse than I thought, I didn't even really notice or care about the IV, The epi was a piece of cake (and so nice!), and the episiotomy and recovery from it was way worse than I could have imagined.

Re: What was your biggest labor fear?

My worst fears were:

1. Tearing while pushing: I ended up with an episiotomy. I did not feel it at all while the doc was doing it, but I did feel the needle numbing the area (so he could sow it) after my son was born. But compared to the contractions and pushing that was a piece of cake. Surprisingly, my recovery was so easy. I didn't feel any pain down below at all. Just soreness but I felt that all over my body.

2. Having a BM while pushing: didn't happen.

Message edited 3/28/2006 12:50:41 PM.

Re: What was your biggest labor fear?

My worst fear was getting a c-section and I got one.

If I was going to have a v-birth, I was afraid of tearing.

So I guess pain was my biggest fear.

Re: What was your biggest labor fear?

My biggest fears were the pain of labor and pushing, tearing and most of all, the IV. I ended up with a c-section so I never had to deal with the pushing/tearing part, but I did labor naturally for 9+ hours, with the most intense, excruciating back labor. It was the most intense few hours of my life, but I think if Alex wasn't so stubborn, I would have been able to continue and deliver naturally. Oh, and yes, the IV was as horrible as I imagined it would be. I have the smallest veins on the planet and it took about 45 minutes, 3 nurses and one doctor to finally get the IV in. I had bruises up and down my arms and hands from their many attempts. I don't know how in the world I let them do it while I was having contractions!! But, for all those preggos reading this, don't be scared. I'm the biggest wuss in the world when it comes to pain/blood/needles, and I managed to get through it!

Re: What was your biggest labor fear?

my biggest fear was having a C- Section and Pre Term Labor...I got both...so I guess I faced my fears.

Re: What was your biggest labor fear?

I can't say I had any real labor fears.... I mean its all scary to me but I knew from about 30 weeks on that I was likely to have a c/s because of the breech baby and I prepared my self mentally and emotionally for it and I think it helped me big time by being informed.

I will say though that I was terrified of going into labor and being by myself or in my office, not being able to get in touch with DH and such. Thankfully we were both at home at 6:30 on a Sunday morning when my water broke.

Re: What was your biggest labor fear?

Re: What was your biggest labor fear?

Epidural...I had nightmares about this. But when the pain got unbearable...I couldn't have cared if they stuck it in my eye. I think I was hallucinating when they gave it to me because I remember looking up at the Annest. and being "You are my God!!" Hey, he was pretty hot! The IV was a close second and it didn't bother me as much as I thought it was. And my overall fear of pooping on the table, yep that happened too

Re: What was your biggest labor fear?

1-Not getting the epidural in time...I even told the lady at the admissions desk I wanted it. I must of said like 100 times when I got to the room. "where is he ?" I almost did not make it, they have to rush the IV into me so I could get it in time.

2-Pushing and pushing and ending up in a c-section.

3-Stressing the baby during the labor. I became obsessed with the machine that has the baby's heart. I kept asking them to make it louder.

Re: What was your biggest labor fear?

my biggest fear was the episotomy and i ended up getting one and the baby ripped me even more

thank god for drugs becuase i didnt feel a thing and the drugs during recovery helped alot.

Re: What was your biggest labor fear?

My number one fear was dying... didn't happen, followed closely by getting a c-section... thankfully didn't happen.

But needless to day, I'm still afraid of those things, that's why I'm really hesitant on having #2.

Re: What was your biggest labor fear?

My biggest fears -

1. the epidural - even though I felt wonderful after having it. I only heard how big the needle was and how painful it was to get one.

2. C-section - I was terrified being wheeled into the operating room.

Message edited 3/28/2006 1:50:38 PM.

Re: What was your biggest labor fear?

My biggest fears were:

--pooping on the table (no idea if I did or not) --not getting an epidural on time (I was induced, which for a planner like me, worked very well)
--my water breaking on the train and being in labor on the LIRR

the thing I didn't think of, but scares the crap outta me for next time...
--the IV--I gave blood a bunch of times and am not afraid of needles. But when I had Bella the nurses butchered my arm saying that the IV wouldn't advance because of my "special" veins...6 sticks later an anesthesiolgist came down and did it, but there was the threat of needing to re-do it the whole time I was in labor and I was terrified...it hurt so much and my arm had a HUGE pocket of blood pooled where they missed a bunch of times so I couldn't hold one of my legs while pushing--which I needed to do when my sis almost passed out!

Re: What was your biggest labor fear?

I feared that something could be wrong w/ my baby (ies). I watched the fetal monitors like a hawk during my labors.

Re: What was your biggest labor fear?

I was worried about having a vaginal birth for the first baby and then needing a c-section for the second.

I wound up with a c-section after a failed induction.

I was also worried about the fact that one of my boys was much smaller. I have to say though I was more worried about ebing a mom, and them being outside of my stomach, it was easy when they were inside.

Re: What was your biggest labor fear?

I had some fears about the baby coming out or If I would need a c-section, but truthfully I really wasnt scared, untill I had to have an emergency c-section for preclamsia 2 weeks early. I was very swollen and my mom made me call the doctor, and when I went into his office he knew right away something was wrong, my blood pressure was so high, that he made me go right over to the hospital. When I got there everything went so fast I didnt have time to be scared, just had to let them do what they had to do, so me and the baby would be ok. I feel with my second baby my fears will be worse, cause I will know whats going to be going on.

Re: What was your biggest labor fear?

Re: What was your biggest labor fear?

My number 1 fear was pooping on the table in front of my DH. Shallow, I know.

A very close second was having a still birth... I worried alot about that because I kept making the Drs wait to induce me.

Third would be tearing.

I really wasn't afraid of the needles, or even a c-section which is a good thing because that's what I had.

ETA: None of my fears happened and to this day I still believe that YES, pooping on the table in front of my DH would be as bad as I fear.

Message edited 3/28/2006 2:59:30 PM.

Re: What was your biggest labor fear?

Re: What was your biggest labor fear?

Posted by BabyAvocado

ETA: None of my fears happened and to this day I still believe that YES, pooping on the table in front of my DH would be as bad as I fear.

Re: What was your biggest labor fear?

Biggest fear of the v-birth hands down for me was having a BM while pushing. I was scared of this for as long as I could remember, years before I even thought about getting PG.

Biggest fear of c-sect.. hmm, this is a hard one. Probably getting the spinal. For some reason, I freaked out while getting it because the guy had to keep going in deeper because it wasnt working. Ahh! Nothing else about a c-sect scared me at all.

Re: What was your biggest labor fear?

My biggest fear was needing a c-section. Both of my grandmothers had very bad problems post surgery within 6 months of each other and it has totally freaked me out about surgery. Thank god I didn't need one, I was really calm throughout my labor until a nurse mistakenly told me that I needed an emergency section (it was another patient, not me) and my blood pressure shot through the roof.

My biggest fear about a vaginal birth was pain. I have a low tolerence for pain, plus I have a bad back to begin with and was fearful of back labor, which I ended up with. My doctor put me on an epidural early on and I progressed pretty quickly from there since I was very relaxed.

Re: What was your biggest labor fear?

To be honest, I didn't have any specific fears...I was in total denial, I think!

Now, I would have to say (for the 2nd time around) that my biggest fear is a repeat c/s.