in January 2025 Babies 🇬🇧

Anxious about L&D

I had a membrane sweep yesterday as I’m 40+4 now and honestly it was so painful, she didn’t even get all the way where she needed to cause I was in pain. Ever since yesterday I’ve been sooooo anxious about labour because wth, my pain tolerance is literally 0 at this point is what I learnt! Like I know theirs medicine etc to help with pain management but now I feel like I’ll be 1cm dilated and dying for the epidural! How do I come down? Breathing? Nope doesn’t work, I panic, that all that goes out the window. I literally fee like getting a c section so that I can have the baby quickly and then deal with recovery as opposed to labour for hours. Idk what to do, just stressed, and at this point if things don’t start to move along I’m going to need to be induced which is even worse I’ve heard, so yay me! HOW DO WOMEN DO THIS and proceed like nothing?! Like it’s natural I get it, but it’s like going to the brink of death and coming back! I know I’ll forget once she’s here but labouring for hours/days is really sending me over the edge!

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You can ask for gas and air when getting the sweep, sometimes it's just painful more for some people. And honestly don't worry, when we know we are in labour our mind kinda adapts to that and handles pain a little better, for me I feel like that anyway. I think going for epidural is a good idea if you don't think you will be able to get through it, I've had two because long painful labours where baby was back to back. C section in my personal opinion I think you should avoid as if you want more babies they tend to do c section again and they say you can't have many kids with the risks of the scar etc It's normal to be scared and freak out about it but when the time comes I think you will be fine. Xx

I found the sweep so painful & uncomfortable but managed labour with just gas & air with my first. I think it’s the thing I’m dreading the most if I opt to have it again this time round 😅 x

One big difference is once your labour starts the body gets high on hormones which act as pain killers (you don't get this during a sweep). If you can get in water (bath, shower, pool) that's great for taking the edge and makes you relax. Look into the Tens machine and / or birth comb. These are non-medicated ways to relieve pain. I was 9 cm when I arrived in the hospital so they couldn't even get the gas and air for me. I was amazed how simple thing as squeezing a comb helps with going through strong contractions. And finally one mantra which really helped me - it is my body experiencing labour so it is my body's ability to overcome all the pain it comes with. Then you have all the available pain management options from gas and air to epidural. You've got this!

Honestly I didn't get to the pushing part sadly so can't comment on that, but I found the vaginal exams to determine dilation so painful. The contractions were less so than that! I used a tens machine and gas and air.

Same as Loren, I couldn't handle the cervical checks in labour but I gave birth with just gas and air 🙃 and I was induced, it was no more painful than my first, spontaneous labour. Also, my first labour stalled during what would've been transition and then I needed a dropping hour when I got to 10cm. For my induction on the other hand I went from 7cm to 10cm in like 10 minutes and then was able to start pushing straight away. If it's any consolation I much much preferred my induction with gas and air over my spontaneous labour with the epidural x

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