Hahahahaha, just kidding, I was petrified.
Lets talk aboutwhyits scary, shall we?
First of all, theres the pain.
We know its bad.
Weve seen the movies.
The woman in labor is always screaming and cursing and sweating and crying.
But if its our first pregnancy, we have no way of knowinghowbad is bad.
Is it like … recovering-from-wisdom-teeth-being-pulled bad?
Because I had that done and it was no picnic.
Or maybe its like … broken toe bad?
Also, how long will the pain last?
A couple of hours?
Will you end up with a C-section after all that useless laboring?
Will all of the important parts of your body bounce back into position?
Plus, bad outcomes do happen.
Is everything probably going to end well?
Yes, we think so!
But is it guaranteed?
Well, no, it isnt.
And thats not fair because there really should not be so many uncertainties with something so important.
I mean, if youcan, thats amazing and you should definitely Go.
However you feel is very much okay.
Luckily, shes also got a few suggestions for alleviating them:
List your fears.
Hey, weve already started doing this!
This is the part we really suck at.
Maybe were afraid to admit were scared because putting a voice to it might make it more real.
Or maybe we want to appear stronger and we think our fears make us weak.
But talking about it out loud can actually help to put things in perspective.
And you needand deservesupport.
If you already meditate, awesome.
Arm yourself with resources.
Youve already told a friend (good job!
), but you still need more information and support.
Learn about pain management options.
Know your options so you might be confident in choosing whats best foryou.
Consider hiring a doula.
If, after all that, youre still pretty damn freaked out, its okay.
Its a big, beautiful, intense, amazing, terrifying thing youre doing.
And youre not alone in feeling that way.
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