Sudden Fear of Labor/Delivery! Please Help :(

[rapunzel87]

Hello ladies,

So I am on my wits end. I have been on this Motherhood group on Facebook for a couple months now. The group gives advice to pregnant women as well as those with children - super fun to read and full of great information! Anyway, someone decided that it would be appropriate to post an article on a new mother who recently passed away during childbirth. I read it :/ I know I shouldn't have, especially since I am due in 8 weeks. But it was sad and terrifying.

Thus began a series of google searches. Everything from amniotic fluid embolisms to severe preeclampsia. I am so scared! I didn't think about dying during childbirth, because you simply don't hear enough about it. However, after researching I learned that it can happen and most of the time its unexpected. I guess what scares me most is that although it is rare, it CAN happen.

I need help. I am going to stop this google nonsense. But I need consolation I am so darn scared of this happening!

 

[tillyttc]

Plz don't scare yourself and stop reading lol it's rare to die in childbirth yes it can happen but it won't you will be well looked after and you will see your little one at the end of it ! Also if you think about it we put our selfs in danger every time we walk out the door and I bet that doesn't worry you ! So enjoy your last eight weeks and i would say enjoy labour but you won't lol but you will forget all your worries when LO is in your arms . Xxx

 

[rapunzel87]

Thank you Tilly. That did make me feel a little better I really let Google take the best of me. I have forced myself to stop reading that scary stuff and just focus on trying to relax. Much easier said than done!

 

[SurpriseBub]

Step away from google! I haven't worried about this particular thing, but I have worried about a lot of different things over the course of this pregnancy. It gets really exhausting... if you can, disengage now!

Does this happen? In reality it does... but in very low numbers- like 18.5 per 100,000 in the US. I like stats, and that comes down to .018%. And I would bet that the majority of those cases are in people with poor health to begin with and/or little to no prenatal care. It is huuuuuuuuugely unlikely to happen to you. It is scary, but I would try to retire this fear and focus on doing all you can to feel good between now and the big day

 

[SarahBear]

Yes it can happen, BUT it's rare. It's even more rare when women receive proper care. Do you trust your doctor/midwife/whatever care provider you have? Also consider that NO MATTER WHAT you are doing, there is a risk of death. The only way to completely avoid chance of death at any point (whether giving birth or not) is to have already died. So... with proper care, you shouldn't have to worry about death any more than when you're not giving birth.