is labor really as bad as it sounds

[gonabeamom]

Being a first time mom what is scaring me the most at the moment is the thought of labour.  I mean wemon have abviously been doing it for ages but i worry about the pain more then anything else.  Is it really all that bad.

[chatting in chatroom]

To be honest it depends on how you want to do it.  If you go normally there are drugs to help.  Injections of pethodine and morphine will take the edge off but you still feel it.  I didnt go for either of those cos it tends to make you drowsey and ill, plus if its still in your system when baby is born it can make baby drowsey too.

I had both a mobile epidural and a spinal.  OH MY GOD  are they great, you feel NOTHING. I swear every woman should have one lol.

If you want to go natural there is always gas and air, i had this too but it just made me feel dizzy, did nothing for the pain.  Also you could try a water birth, hospitals now usually have these but you can only have gas and air in it cos other drugs will make you too drowsey.

Normally if you go on your own your body will gradually increase the pain to allow you to get used to it but if you are induced .. hold onto the bed post... you get the full balst straight away.  My contractions when i was induced were nearly 2 min long (they should only be 1 min roughly). 

In the end i ended up with two c-sections.  After all that.

But while its happening it really doesnt seem to take long at all, even with my first i was in labour for 24 hours .... only seemed like 4/5 hours.

[traceym]

i dont think its that bad but its what u make of it?? i had 3 kids and all natural no needles or anyting just went threw on me own and it turned out fine 4 me with no problems at all,but when it happens 4 you then decide what u want to do dats the best thing 2 do just see how you get on... gud luck with it

[mumto2boys]

My first labour I had a mobile epidural due to speeded up labour. I thought it was the be-all and end all.  I then left it too late to get one for my second labour and what a difference!  despite the pain I had a great birth, felt much more in tune with my body and baby and got over the birth within a week.

I think the main things to remember are 1. the pain is finite and it will end and 2. that its not the end of anything but only the beginning so dont fixate on it.  Easier said than done ha ha.

Keep us updated on how it goes for you.

Marie x

[skatterbrains]

I only have the one atm.  But from my experiance i can tell you if you can go natural then do.  I didnt have a choice mine was a section.  I can tell you you dont want to have to recover from that.  It was still a little painfull 6 months after and there is no pain quite like being sliced (literally) in two. lol   

But seriously, moms have being doing this for thousands of years before modern medicine and will continue to do so.  You are capable and you will survive even more proud of yourself for doing it by yourself.

[nelsjb]

well it depends on how you look at it, for some of us it's a breeze and others it drives them crazy for the time. I had a natural birth that's what I wanted, I wanted to feel what it's like to give birth naturally and so I did. Labour was like 24 hrs, until down to the last when the contraction was back to back, I felt the pain and I suck it because that's what I do,I'm not saying it's not painful mind you. I don't really practice using pain killers, think about it and decide what you want, at the end of it you would be so happy looking into that cute face and say it was worth it, the pain an all. Prepare your body and mind for the kind of birth you want, it also helps a lot if your patner is there.

[gonabeamom]

Thanks everyone,

Its given me alot to think about ..... i guess it depends on how much of a chicken i am lol

[dinkydo]

to be honest your body is doing what it naturally will do, labour wont kill you otherwise there would be no babies lol.  So dont worry, you will be able to handle it i did with nothing and yes it hurt but i could cope.

[Annabell]

Being a first time mom what is scaring me the most at the moment is the thought of labour.  I mean wemon have abviously been doing it for ages but i worry about the pain more then anything else.  Is it really all that bad.

HI Gonabeamum,
Every womans experience of labour will be different.Yes it is painful,no doubt about that.I had epidurals with all 3 of my labours as I didnt find Entonox(gas) helped much. But guess what honey! the pain lasts a day and the reward is for life! THere is nothing as precious in this world as holding your baby for the first time,try and keep that thought in your mind. I had an episiotomy and forceps first time round and it didnt turn me off having more!I've got a freind who has 3 children and she managed with just gas!Try not to be frightened as fear can make the perception of pain heighten.Best of Luck Annabell

[gazy]

hi , firstly congrats on the coming bundle of joy...labour is different for each person and i agree with the previous post that u may not know which pain relief you want to go with until you are there. with me i went with the gas as im sh@t scared of needles ...however i had friends telling me the gas made them puke and dizzy.it was fine for me... i had my both relying heavily on the gas. but saying that at the near end of my first birth i was like give me an eppidural i dont care how big the needle is ...by that time it was to late and i had to do without...and as soon as my baby was born my sister who was my birth partner asked if i would have any more and i was like yeah that was easy....because all the pain in the world would have been worth it to hold your baby...women have been doing it for centuries but it is still a precious time and we are in awe that we created that life>>>>

[gonabeamom]

ok, im slowly getting my head around the fact that there is going to be a human coming out of me in a few months ....... OUCHIES.  Thanks for all the advice and support ill let you know how it goes .... scary stuff.