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I watched youtube videos of both vaginal and c-sections- just to see what I'm up against. I told my mom I really don't want to do either, and she said that I can't "throw up" the baby so I'm just going to have to suck it up-lol! FWIW, I watched videos of labor for someone who had an epidural, and it didn't seem nearly as scary as all the videos that show wild screaming and make my eyeballs pop out of my face:) Oh, and you can see video of them doing epidurals on youtube and that calmed me down because it didn't appear to be that bad.

I know it might seem crazy to want to see video of all of this, but it really did help me and was very informative.

I was terrified of both! I ended up with a C section but my baby was sunny side up with an enormous head!

once you're in the moment you wont be scared, I promise! It is kind of like getting a tattoo or a shot, the anticipation is always the worst!

Your body will take over and once its in baby mode, you wont feel fear! You can do it!!!

i have a friend who has had 3 babies in 3 years...she has basically been PG since 2008! i was all for natural because i was so scared of having an epidural, that sounded worse to me than not having any drugs (i know, where is the rationale in that, right?)

she told me the other day that the best thing she did for herself with the last two babies was to have a scheduled induction with an epidural as soon as she got there. of course, everyone will have their own opinion on birthing...but i respect her opinion a lot & found it interesting she felt this way.

I was terrified of the labor, but not the epidural. Labor was not half as bad as I had imagined (but full on back labor definitely tested me) . The epidural was sweet bliss and is nothing to fear! Really I think my fear of labor might have even hindered my progress, because once I got the epidural, things moved really fast!

I am not scared of labor, I am however scared of potentially needing a c-section. And there's no way I will get an epidural unless I end up needing a c-section lol...

I was scared prior to going into labor. Once I started having contractions the fear went away and I went into birthing mode. Time flew by and baby was in my arms before I knew it!
From start of labor to baby took 12 hours.

I was more afraid of the epidural and wanted to try to do a med free birth but when I went into labor I begged for an epidural..and it was the best decision I made! It didn't hurt at all and I was able to feel my legs and move them around. LO was too big and couldn't descend past my pelvis so I ended up with a csection after over 16 hours of labor. She had a cone head even though she was a csection baby bc she was trying to get out but was stuck for so long

@mediagirl: I was the same way! I was like, well, there is no other way out, so I'm just going to have to figure it out. Seriously you are going to be fine!!!

I was afraid of everything but once labor started I got my epidural and it was nothing compared to a contraction.

I'm not pregnant yet, but I'm a big baby when it comes to medical procedures (awful memories from childhood illnesses). I'm so terrified of needles and anything like that.

However, I had Lasik done a couple years ago and everyone was amazed that I went through with it. I was pretty amazed myself because it was something I didn't HAVE to do and I still did it because I wanted to see better. I guess I thought about the "end product" and that helped a lot. I'm hoping that I'll be so excited about the baby that I won't freak out too badly about giving birth.

There were a times leading up to the "big day" that I got really freaked! I would constantly go back to my Ina May's book, primarily their "farm stats" in the back, & remind myself that I was more than capable to birth my baby just like the ladies that had at their facility. For weeks I told myself "you're going to get huge" (in reference to pushing DD out) and pretty much resolved that I was NOT going tear.

When the time actually came, it wasn't nearly as bad as I had heard from so many other moms. I attribute that to all my "affirmation" that I COULD do it though.... One of those things if you tell someone it's going to hurt then they are already setting themselves up for pain kinda thing. I moved alot in labor which greatly diminished the pain (found out how much when I tried lying down through contractions... Ouch) and until I hit transition & had a couple complications told myself that I was doing great! (once I got discouraged things got alot more painful). In the end it was hard, but definitely manageable (again I attribute that to having built my confidence) and as soon as u had DD I felt like a completely different person!... Awake, rested, & eerily calm! Totally worth it & totally doable!!

I have my birth story posted if you want to check it out... I made it as detailed & honest as possible to help encourage other moms! You can totally do this!

ETA: I was medicated when I had DS & had an epi 2 hours before my cesarean (prepped "just in case") So having had both I prefer my unmedicated like a billion times over.

Oh I was more than scared of the whole thing. Scans estimated our twins as both being over 7 lbs, and I was so freaked by thoughts of how they'd get out of me, but I knew I wanted the epidural for definite. Half of all twin deliveries (here, anyway) involve a section, and I so didnt want to find myself in an emergency situation, too late for epidural, but needing some kind of spinal to allow the section.

Well.
Drugs are good, m'kay?!

The epidural rocked. Seriously. I had about 17 hours of contractions under my belt by the time we got to 3cm, and I was completely ready for the pain to end. With twins, they stick the two heart monitor pads to your belly and basically leave them there, so you can't move. I had woeful back labour for most of that day. The midwife giving the antenatal class had said the optimal time to have the epidural sited is between 3 and 5 cm, so I made sure everyone knew where I stood on that.
Siting the epidural was no fun, I'll grant you that. I was sat up on a fairly soft bed, with two anaesthetists behind me telling me to sit straighter, push my back out further and don't move, for about half an hour. (they obv stop for the contractions). It was hard on DH too, I was in a lot of pain at that stage and all he could do was hold my hand. But once they got it- I swear to you, bliss. The pain just stopped. I could feel my legs fine, I could even feel the skin on my belly, I just couldn't feel the pain. The midwife booted everyone out and dimmed the lights so I could rest for a half hour or so.
As it turned out, directly after that rest, the pitocin caused the babies' heartbeats to slow so we went straight up to theatre for a section, but everyone was so calm, and the line was already in so all they had to do was pump more drugs into me and we were ready to go. It's fantastic how precise they are - I had feeling above my bump, and throughout my legs. Just none in between. I felt tugging sensations which weren't entirely pleasant, but no pain. That was two weeks ago tomorrow, and while I do feel weak still and not quite right in myself, I'm happy I had the best birth possible for me and my babas.

Sorry for the essay!
I know the whole thing is scary, but as my SIL said, the pregnancy lasts 9 months, with all the nausea discomfort etc, the labour only lasts a day, and you have your baby at the end of it. You'll be fine!

ETA
Oh I was horrified by the idea of the catheter too- but like pp said, they don't insert it until the epidural is in and operational so you know nothing about it. And having it removed is honestly no big deal. The nurse just got me to cough while she whipped it out and I was stunned I barely felt it!

I second the recommendation of Ina may's guide to childbirth, it's a very detailed and very reassuring book.

It's normal to feel that way, but at least for me, self-talk like, "I'm scared..." "I'm terrified..." etc. is really really unhelpful! A few years back I realized I did it all the time, made big changes in my life and started thinking of myself as "fearless." And it has worked pretty well! I know that might sound all woo-woo, but I think a lot of the pain of labor is based on fear.

Also, like some other commenters have said, it may not be as bad as you think. For me it was not intense until the very end. Remember, everyone has their own experience, and most of what we are exposed to in movies and TV shows is totally inaccurate!

I'm most terrified of not having time for an epidural! my mom got to the hospital and delivered me in 14 minutes. I am afraid of going that fast - I'm going to be there early, and if they make me leave, I'll read a book in the waiting area. LOL!!

@cyndistar3: this was me. Then after 16 hours of labor 3 full hours pushing when they informed me my baby was stuck I signednthe dotted line and felt relief because I tried and was so ready to be done and meet my girl.

IMO csections are demonized wrongfully. Natural Birth advocates make you fear them to the point some women feel like failures for being unable to deliver vaginally. My recovery hasnt been 1/4 as bad as I was told it would be and I would do it a million times over to have my darling daughter.

I'm just totally avoiding thinking about it. It's coming. There's nothing I can do about it. I'll deal with it when it gets here.

ETA: The epidural is the only part that doesn't scare me at all. It's relief from the pain, so I'm looking forward to it.

YEP! I was so scared of the epidural, too. Honestly, that part was not bad AT ALL. First, you don't see anything. Second, all you feel is a tiny little shot (the numbing shot) then nothing else. They thread a catheter into your back but you are totally numb and don't see or feel anything.