Scared of labor

Honestly, that's kind of hard advice to give. I mean it is different for all of us. I was induced. I wasn't allowed to eat anything after midnight. If you know you're going to be induced I suggest just eating a little closer to the cut off time. I get why they tell you not to eat after that time, but you definitely don't want to be hungry after having the kid. They made me wait forever to eat after I had my kid. I coughed and that made me gag and even though I didn't throw up they were all paranoid. I didn't eat from 8 PM the night before I went in until almost 3 AM the day after I went in. I was really hungry. I had my son at 7:45 PM the day I went in. I also heard that inducing makes contractions twice as bad as not inducing. So I would advise to avoid inducing labor if at all possible. I was induced because they thought my son was going to be 9 lbs 7 oz and they didn't want him to get bigger. (fortunately he was only 8 lbs 4 oz). Also to be warned that epidurals don't always work. I wouldn't want someone to freak out, but sometimes it's better to have realistic expectations. If it works for you great. I think the greatest thing to know is that even though it's painful it is so worth it. Nothing compares to seeing that beautiful little baby after all is said and done. I would also say it's ok to be a little scared. I was freaking out when I was induced, I had some complications(3rd degree tears, and my epidural came out of my back and didn't really work very well so I felt most of the pain anyway) but it all turned out ok. You have to have trust that those doctors know what they're doing. They have done this several times before (at least most of them have)and you have to know you will be ok. Also don't be afraid to ask questions. It's your right to know what they are doing and what is going on. Also if you go in having a birth plan realize that it may not pan out the way you planned, and that's ok. It's not a failure on your part, just make sure that you're doing what is best for you and the baby and what is safest for both of you (some people are so set against c sections, but sometimes it's best for both parties if you have one).

First I would tell her not to take to heart what everyone else tells her about their experience. Everyone is different and just because it happened with them doesn't mean it will go that way for you. That's a big mistake I made when I was pregnant(my daughter is now almost 11 months old). My friends who had already had children told me about their labor horror stories so I was pretty nervous and scared. It was not bad at all! I was expecting the worst and I had no complications what-so-ever. Yes, it did hurt before I got the epidural but after that it was a piece of cake. The epidural was the scariest part for me but I don't like needles at all. It really didn't even hurt, it was just a weird pressure sensation. I had to be induced because I was almost two weeks passed my due date. She was due on March 30th and I had her on April 11th. I was in labor for 12 hours but I only pushed for an hour. I was completely awake and coherent for the whole thing, I had the epidural and I was sitting there talking to the nurse, my mom, and my daughter's father. The doctor didn't come in until her head started coming out. When they handed her to me, I will forever remember that moment. So I would say to just keep in mind that your baby will be in your arms before you know it and try to think positive!

I would tell them that giving birth is a natural process and that her body is made to do it. The best thing is to relax and let nature do what it was meant to do. We have doctors and nurses and medications to help, but they only help. Relying on nature and one's own body is key.

I also think trying to be relax is the key, but in order to be relax, you must first be well prepared. You need to understand how it is, the process of labor, what you need to do and how you can do it. I'd tell her to monitor the 3 symptoms of getting labor, so that she won't get too panic when one of these happens. Also, what choices they have for the pain relieve. If the mother is very afraid of the pain, perhaps she can try the epidural. If not, then she can go for other pain relieve methods. Just ask the doctor before going to labor, when she knows the choices she has, she can be more relax. After that, just follow what midwife says, and enjoy the pain, enjoy the labor. Though there might be complication during the labor, she may not go through natural birth, doctors and nurses are there to help, and she and her baby will be fine. I'd tell them to monitor the 3 symptoms of getting labor, so that they won't get too panic when one of these happens. During my first labor, though I have prepared for it, after pushing for some time, and the doctor said my baby still couldn't come out, hence she recommended me to have an emergency c-section. Though I felt really painful, I was still calm and made the decision fast, so decided to take the doctor's advice. So, I'd say if one is in the complication, remember to stay calm, and ask yourself how you'll decide. My first priority is always my baby, I want him to be healthy and fine.

I too would tell someone that they should go with whatever seemed right to them. I had two mostly natural labors as well. I mean both of my children were induced to a certain extent and that did mean that I had a pitocin drip and that made the contractions much stronger so I also had one dose of stadol during each of my labors. However, I opted to not have an epidural because I was actually a lot more scared of an epidural than I was scared of natural labor. And for me, I have to admit that I forgot about the pain at the moment that my newborns were placed in my arms.

This might sound wrong but use as much profanity as you can while you are in labor. I don't know if it was just me or what but as I pushed, I cursed like a sailor and it seemed to distract me from the pain and fear. So use as many four letter words as you can think of. If you run out of words, make some up. If the father is present for the birth, make him a target for the words. The words will come to you quicker if you remember he is the reason for the pain..

I would tell them not to be afraid, plenty of people go through labor all the time and they are okay. I had 3 natural labors and I am here and okay. You forget about all of the pain once you see your angel you just gave birth to. I would also tell them not to let anyone talk you into anything you don't want to do. The nurse tried convincing me to get an epidural, I am glad I did not listen because that is not what I wanted.

I was in hard labor 5 hours with my son. hence the reason I never got pregnant again. No way jose.....