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as morbid as it is, i was mostly terrified of either me or the baby dying.
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@jmarionsmith: same.
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@MrsStormy: Word. I vote everything!
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I was terrified of the epidural the first time around. I labored without it while receiving the maximum dose if pitocin. That needle scared me! I ended up getting one an hour before my csection and it wasn't bad at all. I want to try to go without one for this baby but it doesn't scare me as much now.
My biggest fear this time is uterine rupture. The risk is about 1% but I can't help but worry! That's pretty much the only thing that makes me question myself when it comes to trying for a VBAC.
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I was most scared of dying during delivery and everything that comes after (i.e., being a parent!).
Runners-up were: pooping during delivery or hemorrhaging. My mom hemorrhaged after having me and needed several blood transfusions.
Honestly, having a c-section was less scary to me than vaginal birth. I felt more in control with a c-section, and felt like I had less chance of dying, and much less chance of pooping in front of anyone.
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Complications. I remember constantly asking if baby was ok.i should have been more scared of the pain but was so naive and thought I could handle anything. HA!
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Tearing. And I did, 3rd degree
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I was most terrified of tearing and the recovery from tearing!
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on the serious side:
something going so horribly wrong that it resulted in either of us losing our lives and/or serious injury.
'lighter' side:
the catheter - thankfully it only ended up being an in-and-out, which is nothing! -
@yoursilverlining: I hemorrhaged. It wasn't even on the list of things I worried about. But neither was the unplanned induction or back labor or any of the things that happened!
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Honestly, I didn't really have any. I wasn't naive, I just didn't think any of the really bad stuff would happen to me and it didn't. My biggest fear was probably the pain and a long labor. Actually, the long labor was the biggest. I figured I'd be able to manage the pain, and I did. And labor was 26 hours long that first time, but I learned I could deal with it. I knew I could possibly wind up with a c-section, but I didn't think I would and I didn't (hugely in part to having a home birth). I knew I could tear badly, but I didn't think I would and I didn't (good genes).
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Tearing!
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Bleeding out. I had a home birth with a wonderful midwife and doula. At the end of the pregnancy, there was a lot of blood every time DH and I dtd- I started worrying that I would start bleeding uncontrollably when I went into labor. Funny thing was, once everything started, I never even thought about it. And everything was fine so I guess I just worried for nothing.
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I am TERRIFIED of needles, so I was most afraid of getting an IV and was determined to do it naturally, because my hospital allows you to decline an IV/heplock so long as you don't take any medication. HAHAHA. After a full day of contractions, the last 6 of which were filled with pain I couldn't even begin to imagine prior to that moment, and only getting to 4 centimeters dilated, I was begging for an IV and an epidural! I really didn't think I would be, generally I have a petty high pain tolerance, but my body just didn't respond well at all to the contractions. I was trying my hardest to breathe and work with them, but in the end I just couldn't handle it. If I'd had a shorter labor I think I could have done it, but after so many hours with so little progress I just broke.
The other thing I was really scared of was tearing. Yeah...again, jokes on me, because I never even pushed - baby's heart rate kept dropping, and after hours of re-positioning and trying to get it back up I ended up with an emergency C-section - which was something I hadn't even considered as an option in my head, like my brain was totally closed off to that possibility because hello, I hate needles, IVs, being cut, everything to do with surgery! But honestly, that was the easiest and most painless part of the whole process. Even the recovery from it really wasn't bad.
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I was super duper scared of tearing. Turns out, I barely tore and it was no big deal. This time I'm afraid that it will hurt more than I remember.
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For my first I was terrified of a c-section... and I ended up needing an emergency c-section
For this pregnancy I think I am just terrified of making the wrong choice (repeat csection vs vbac) I just want baby to be okay and it freaks me out to think about the what ifs if something would go wrong.
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I was afraid of needing an episiotomy. I've heard horror stories about ppl getting cut all the way. Luckily I only tore very little. Didn't even need a wheelchair, I was up and walking almost immediately after my epi wore off. Was also afraid of contraction pain and must afraid that I would know when I was going into labor which I really didn't. My doc had to send me to the hospital because I was ready to pop!
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My biggest fear was having LO's cord wrapped around her head. Tearing came second. When the day came and it was time to push, all I cared about was the cord and when that wasn't an issue, all I wanted was to have her out! By then, I didn't care about tearing, I just wanted her out.
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Pitocin and the catheter - I only ended up having the latter, and I was embarrassed by how afraid I was of something so harmless.
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My biggest fear was tearing...which I never experienced because I needed a c-section anyway. The epidural didn't bother me, although it was a little amusing to see how wide DH's eyes got when the anesthesiologist broke out the spinal needle, heh.
An interesting study I found yesterday while looking up that tummy time thing:
Birth. 2012 Jun;39(2):115-20. Maternal position and other variables: effects on perineal outcomes in 557 births.
Meyvis I, Van Rompaey B, Goormans K, Truijen S, Lambers S, Mestdagh E, Mistiaen W.- The lateral position had fewer tears and fewer episiotomies as compared to lithotomy (on your back, holding your thighs).
- Doctors were more likely to have patients tear/episiotomy than midwives. (Which may be unfairly skewed, because in many places, the midwife can't perform an episiotomy. But this is a Belgian study, I'm not sure what their practice is.)
- The protective effect of the lateral position (on your side) held true even with second labors and whether you had a doc or midwife. -
@prettylizy: did I miss an announcement??
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An insulin drip! I had GDM and was truly terrified of being on an insulin drip and F having to be transferred to NICU due to hypoglycemia (which would mean transferring to another hospital as there was no NICU at the hospital I delivered). Thankfully, none of it happened and I had a really simple delivery!
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Tearing, it was my number 1 fear.
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@sslm: I just sort of slipped into the March mama boards! Lol! Due on the 15th!
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First time the pain of labor, especially pushing and the pushing was the worst. This time tearing. I tore so bad last time it was worse PP than actual birth.
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@prettylizy: Congratulations! (you trixie hobbit you!).
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Stillbirth and the cord around the neck were my biggest fears, followed by tearing. I heard way too many horror stories about people feeling the stitches going in, even after being numbed up, and that freaked me out! LO flew out in one big push, resulting in a second degree tear and not only didn't I feel the tear or the stitches (thank you amazing epidural), but the recovery was a piece of cake and never required so much as an Advil to manage the pain.
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Pain, complications (like my bf had with her c-section going awry and she ended up having to have follow-up surgery weeks later) and death. I really don't care about the "birth experience" at all, for me it's just a means to an end!
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I was so so worried about something happening to LO... That was honestly the only thing that really terrified me. I was also a little worried about tearing or needing an emergency c-section after laboring a long time.
After 34 hrs of labor, my LOs heart rate was dropping during contractions and I was freaking out. The doctor said she was okay though and gave me an oxygen mask. I was pushing with every ounce of strength I had in order to get her out as soon as possible. I did tear and I did feel the stitches (until I got a shot), but I didn't care because I was so relieved. LO didn't cry right away and had an Apgar of only 4 (the cord had been around he neck), but she was okay, thank God.
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@Ree723: same for me except my recovery was really painful.
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@FutureMrsMcK: OMG! That night!? You strong woman, you!
My biggest fear was a hard recovery, due to an episiotomy, I'm having a terrible recovery.
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Tearing! And I did. Fortunately, it wasn't a major tear (1st almost 2nd degree tear near the perineum and a tiny tear that the OB debated about stitching near the urethra). I don't know how many stitches I got, but the pain was worse later in the week than at the hospital, and I'm still cringing /looking for ways to ease the pain.
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I was scared of really ridiculous things: having a cannula put in my hand, needing a catheter and pooing in childbirth. If I knew then what I know now.....!!
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