[boxgirl73]

i'm pregnant with my first baby and will be 29 weeks tomorrow. i'm due on 12/12 and i'm petrified of delivering my child and having my colon spasm which is my main issue with ibs....the spasms feel so bad i can't move, breath, sit or lay down. can last for an hour or more but usually no more than an hour. i was able to take anti-spasmodics but now that i'm pregnant i can't. i asked doc about this fear...he said you won't even notice if it happens because you'll be worried about the labor pains....but my question is....aren't labor pains going to be easier for me to deal with than the sharp PAINFUL sensation i get when i'm having a spasm? i think i can deal with pressure which is how everyone describes labor to me but he scared me more thinking that labor will be WORSE than feeling like my insides will burst!any info on how your labor went and if you have these spasms did you have them when in labor and delivery?thanks!heather

 

[Jeanne D]

((((Hugs)))Childbirth is scary, especially the first time, but it's different for everyone.My first son was induced which made it harder, but like everything else, you find strength when you need it.Discuss your fears with your OB and he/she will reassure you. They can give you drugs to take the edge off of the pain also.You will get through it and have a beautiful baby afterward.I'll be praying for you.Hugs..Jeanne xo

 

[*Luna*]

I haven't experienced labor yet and am not particularly looking forward to it in March, but that kid's gotta come out!You didn't say what, if any, pain control techniques or medications you will be using. The pressure you hear about might be from people who had epidurals. I wonder if an epidural would also numb your colon?I've coped with heinous menstrual cramps since puberty and I'm told labor might not be as bad! Or no worse. I'm told the nice thing about labor is the uterus contracts then relaxes. With menstruation it just keeps contracting for hours... My menstrual cramps weren't the same as a muscle spasm but had some similarities to GI cramps and were definitely not just pressure.I'm planning on laboring at least some of the time in a warm tub (or shower if the room with the tub is full), and warm water has always relaxed my muscles wherever they may be. I think that will help. There are a lot of things you can do to ease the pain. Try to prepare yourself in different ways, but don't worry too much about spasm yet

 

[KLG]

Oh wow Luna!!!! Congratulations on your pregnancy and you too Boxgirl. I guess it depends on how bad your IBS is and how bad your labor is. I underestimated what I thought actual labor would be like, but I overreacted about a lot of things. It is absolutely true that there is so much else going on. I was horrified at the thought of having to have an epesiotomy (sp?) or worse yet a C-section or long labor....but when the time came after hours of labor that I had to have a C-section I don't know how to explain it but I wasn't really scared anymore....all of the days leading up to it I was nervous about this or that...but when the day and time came not only is there excitement about the baby but I also think that the hormones and chemicals within the body help out.I eventually asked for the epidural during labor... so if you are worried about the IBS pain and spasms that might be an option to keep open. You don't have to have the epidural, but if you tell them you want the option, they will prepare you for it ahead of time so if or when you want it can be administered more quickly.Congratulations both of you and best of luck! I