Of labour and birth?

Im just 3 weeks away from my due date and after a small trip to the hospital last night I am now very anxious again about it all, and am finding myself being particually scared of the birth bit!

What you say ladies?

Please be honest and dont spare details, would rather know than not.

Emma
x

Hiya,

the worst bit for me was that I went from having no contractions to having them with hardly any time in between and very painful straight away. There was no build up as I was induced (they broke my waters as I was 12 days overdue). But on the plus side it was a very quick labour at just under four hours so I got a good deal I think! On the whole it really was an amzing experience and I'd do it all again! good luck x

If I were to be 100% honest with you. I didn't find the labour and birth that bad. I managed my contractions and pushing with Pethidine and G+A with my first and with my second just G+A. I would not recommend the Pethidine though as it made me very drowsy and I wont be having it again. The only part I found the most uncomfiest was when my daughters head crowned. It was just like a burning sensation but didnt last long as it did not take me long to oush her out.
I think every labour and birth is different but in my experience its not that bad.

Maz x
27+4
87 days til the babies due date x

hey hun, i had a stupidly long time from my contractions starting to actually having my LO but the worst part for me was that my contractions were in my back this wouldnt havent been too bad if i hadnt had to lie on my back for the whole labour as i was hooked up to machines the whole time. (if you want to read a stupidly long&detailed birth story just click my topics for the link lol)

dont worry about it though, i found it wasn't nearly as bad as all the horror stories people tried to tell me before i'd actually had her!!!

hey hun, i had a stupidly long time from my contractions starting to actually having my LO but the worst part for me was that my contractions were in my back this wouldnt havent been too bad if i hadnt had to lie on my back for the whole labour as i was hooked up to machines the whole time. (if you want to read a stupidly long&detailed birth story just click my topics for the link lol)

dont worry about it though, i found it wasn't nearly as bad as all the horror stories people tried to tell me before i'd actually had her!!!

hey hun, i had a stupidly long time from my contractions starting to actually having my LO but the worst part for me was that my contractions were in my back this wouldnt havent been too bad if i hadnt had to lie on my back for the whole labour as i was hooked up to machines the whole time. (if you want to read a stupidly long&detailed birth story just click my topics for the link lol)

dont worry about it though, i found it wasn't nearly as bad as all the horror stories people tried to tell me before i'd actually had her!!!

Hi Emma

I know everyone is different and everyone's pain threshold's are different but..... its really not as bad as what you expect. well it wasnt for me.

I was 14 days over due (and very fed up! lol) i went in to be induced. They gave me 1 pessary at 4pm and then another at 10pm, From about 11pm i couldnt get comfortable in bed so was jumping in and out and walking around the room on my own (they had sent hubby home and said would call him if anything happened overnight) from 11pm-3am i was pacing the room in pain, but not bad enough to buzz the midwife. How was i to know what labour was like - it was my first time lol. Eventually when i was so tired and couldnt stand wlaking around anymore i buzzed her, she came in and assessed me - i was 4-5cm!! all on my own? My waters broke there and then so i rang hubby to come straight over. After 3 hours on gas and air i wanted to push - they told me i probably didnt as it was only 3 hours and they excpected me to go at least another 4-5 hours but i insisted. I was told to push if i wanted, as she checked i was fully dialted and withing 3 pushes she was out. I was petrified of the oushing part but honestly it wasnt that bad.

People tell you lots of horror stories but mine was a lovely experience. Yes it did hurt but nothing like i expected and i would definately do it again

xxx
Newlook and Lily 21weeks old

The worst part for me was thinking I was prepared when really I was not prepared for every eventuality.
My birth plan was pethidine and G&A which I had but I ended up having a section under a general anaesthetic (I will spare you the details but all ended well!)
Because a section never crossed my mind I wasnt prepared for the pain afterwards or the feelings that followed. It is really worth keeping an open mind about birth. Sometimes you have no control over what happens for medical reasons so it is worth reading up on everything!

Hope I havent scared you too much! It wasnt all bad because I'm doing it all over again!

Serena 26+4

The worst part for me was thinking I was prepared when really I was not prepared for every eventuality.
My birth plan was pethidine and G&A which I had but I ended up having a section under a general anaesthetic (I will spare you the details but all ended well!)
Because a section never crossed my mind I wasnt prepared for the pain afterwards or the feelings that followed. It is really worth keeping an open mind about birth. Sometimes you have no control over what happens for medical reasons so it is worth reading up on everything!

Hope I havent scared you too much! It wasnt all bad because I'm doing it all over again!

Serena 26+4

Afterwards was the worst part for me.. i coped with labour pretty well i just didnt like how sore and painfull things where afterwards but its not like that for everyone.

Good luck!! xx

Hi, the worst part is definitely the pain lol, but for me it was also the feeling of being out of control - something is happening to your body and you have very little control over it.

I've had 3 very different birth experiences and the position of the baby seems v important as if you are unlucky enough to have a back to back labour the contractions are excrutiating. For my first it was like torture and I had an epidural, which was wonderful and took all the pain away. But my mw believes it also delayed labour - so I had to go on a drip to get contractions started again. Baby then got stuck (!) and I couldn't push properly because I was numb from the waist down!

Baby no.2 was a text-book birth - very easy. He was in the perfect position - waters broke at 4pm and I had him at 8pm. I was in ante-natal and the contractions were all in my tummy, no back pain, and I found it easy to 'breathe' through them. In fact it was all so easy after my first birth, that I didn't realise how far gone I was until I got the urge to push - had to call for a midwife - and was literally rushed down the corridor to the delivery room lol!

My birth no.3 was the worst of the lot - and if you want some gory details then look at my other topics for my post in the traumatic births forum.

Each birth is different - but you are so amazed you've brought this tiny human into the world it is all worth it! xx

hello

for me it was the sheer tiredness more than the acctual pain, my waters broke at 3am, contractions started at 3.20am and i ended up going for a section and bubs arrived at 5.28pm, by lunchtimne i was fully dialated and spent hours pushing without success, pushing was a great relief though, much less painfull than the contractions, although i did dialte very quickly

its very true what they say, you do forget the acctual pain.

becca and jacob
4 weeks, 5 days

Transition!! (and being ignored!) I had a very straightforward labour, waters broke at midday, kept busy at home between contrations baking cookies and watching th olympics whist bouncing on my birthing ball. Went into hospital at 4pm as contactions were less than 5 mins apart, only to be told they wouldn't examine me due to risk of infection as they didn't think I was in labour - or in their words 'I had a very high pain threshold!' Buy 5pm the contactions were coming one on top of the other and I really didn't think i could cope, finally offered some gas and air and was examined and told I could push.

threw away the gas and air and actually really enjoyed the pushing, its such a relief after the transition period, and stanley was born at 7pm.

I think had i been listened to and examined earlier and therefore offered pain relief It all would have been fine..i hope this time round having had 'experience' they will pay abit more attention to what I'm saying!

Good luck!!xx

Trust you to ask this emma lol xx

Trust you to ask this emma lol xx

For me the worst bit was a few days after when the stitches started to tighten, but its nothing a few paracetomol and a nice bath couldnt fix. For me it was no where near as bad as I expected. My waters broke at about 4:45 in the afternoon. Contractions didnt start til 9 but they were like period pains and even when they were at their worst it was ok because its not a constant pain, it builds and ebbs. I had gas and air at about 2:30, and Holly was born at 4:30 after only 20 minutes of pushing. When the baby crowns it stings for a few seconds but its fine. I had a second degree tear which was my worst fear but I didnt even feel it when it happened.

i agree the worse part was being stitched up!

My labour was very straight forward and managed with just a TENS machine but when they stitched me up i had to have gas and air!!

and also the days after with the stitches they can get very tight!

I just thought my body knows what its doing and tried to relax as much as i could. When the head crowns was probably the worse bit of the whole labour.

Good luck you will be totally fine
Laura (21+1) xx

hun everyone gets scared i'm on number 4 and i'm petrified!!!!

i have quite a high pain threshold but i am very squeamish when it comes to stitches etc.

first labour and birth was good, you don't know what to expect so your more anxious than scared. had my show at 11.30pm was told to go hospital because of my age (i was only 17), monitor was showing contractions although i couldn't feel any, they then broke my waters at 1.00am (very uncomfortable sensation), contractions started to get stronger, had an epidural as i was struggling to cope with the pain combined with tiredness due to it being middle of the night, i still had a lot of sensation down below just no pain, started pushing at 3.30am, babys head kept going back in as she had a small head, was told i had to get her head out with the next push or they would give me an episiotomy (which was never going to happen), so i gave it my all and her head came out with the ring of fire, and the rest followed next push, and she was born at 3.58am

second lo i was scared as i knew what to expect, but this one was actually far easier than the first, no niggles or anything then all of a sudden at 8.04pm i had my first contraction, they then started coming every 4 mins, i got into the hospital at 9.15pm and was told i was 7cms dilated. with this one the pressure of my waters were more uncomfortable than the pain of the contractions (waters hadn't gone yet and they wouldn't break them), only had G&A, the midwife broke my waters at 10.32pm with her fingers, lo then follwed immediately at 10.33pm, all of him came out with one push.
i avoided stitches both times phew!

third i was excited as all though labour was painful with the first 2, it was short and quickly forgotten.
after my waters breaking at 34+5wks, i went into labour at exactly 35 wks, again thick and fast contractions. i was only 2 cms, after 7 hours of an extremely painful labour (and every pain relief method going), the consultant finally realized baby was back to back (although he laid like this in the whole of the pregnancy, no-one had bothered looking at my notes), accompanied with infection from having no waters for 2 days, baby refusing to engage head and fetal distress, the only outcome was an emergency section. all i kept saying during the op was 'i want dissolvable stitches otherwise you aint taking them out' lol.

this time i am back to being scared as a vbac carries more risks as a normal vaginal xxxx

For me i was totally unprepared for the length of time it could go on for! i mean how can you prepare for that!? In my nct class the stages of labour looked like they would last about an hour each and would run smoothly. Not last for 27 hrs!
Also once you start being administered drugs that could potentially make you sick, so before you get to the hospital have a good meal if you can fir energy as i was so hungry but unable to eat!!
D x

For me i was totally unprepared for the length of time it could go on for! i mean how can you prepare for that!? In my nct class the stages of labour looked like they would last about an hour each and would run smoothly. Not last for 27 hrs!
Also once you start being administered drugs that could potentially make you sick, so before you get to the hospital have a good meal if you can fir energy as i was so hungry but unable to eat!!
D x