37th Week: Calming My Labor Fears

Today exactly, I’ve stepped into my 37th week of pregnancy. And if our second child’s delivery will be like his older brother’s, we should be expecting the little darling to arrive any time now.

I am excited, and at the same time, there is this tint of anxiety. I know labor pain will hurt so much. I am now readying  my body to experience excruciating pain again, like I had with Kyle.

Don’t get me wrong. My delivery with Kyle wasn’t traumatic, the experience was in fact amazing. I labored for 12 hours without epidural. Every mom knows how painful that was.  But being able to feel my body doing its work, doing what it has been designed for– to give birth, that is– was a wonderful,wonderful experience. I especially loved the feeling of having my firstborn leave my body and enter this world after that long push followed by another. That was my moment of glory.

But my husband has been telling me to have the epidural this time. “You have undergone so much physical pain in less than a year already.” He said. True, in less than a year, I had two major surgeries: the laparoscopic cholecystectomy  and then the removal of the bilateral ovarian dermoid cysts on the fourth month of my pregnancy. Yet still, I would want to go for normal spontaneous birthing. I am targeting to get through as much of it as I could naturally. But I assured my husband that once I feel I could no longer take the labor surges, I shall opt for more medical intervention.

I’ve been calming myself these days with my pregnancy woes. I’ve been  reading my birthing story with Kyle over and over, the story published in Philippine Daily Inquirer way back. It builds my anticipation and excitement to finally hold the little darling on the way in my hands. The feeling would be so grand, I know, like how I felt when we I finally held Kyle.

And then the soothing words from my fellow moms. It’s always calming to hear words from women who have gone through it. Words such as, “Just relax and trust your body, the pain is just going to be for a few hours, it’s going to be over soon!” And, “Pray for strength, remember, your body is designed for birthing!” It’s also calming to remind myself that many women have undergone this, that I’ve done it once,too, and that I can do it again of course!

For now, I am slowly unclothing that tint of birthing anxiety that’s still in me. I hope to be ready when the delivery day comes. And as that day arrives, I pray to carry it on with calmness and grace. I pray for God to shower me the enormous strength I’ll be needing that only He could give.

Please join me and my family as we pray for smooth and safe delivery of Baby Trey.