It's sad that this is what our society has produced:( No one ever used to worry about pregnancy, birth, and breastfeeding, they just knew it was what you did when you were old enough. But now, women want to have the goriest stories and tell how their pain was worse than anything else, and shows like "A Baby Story" only pick the drama-filled births to air so we think birth is scary and usually ends in a cascade of interventions and too often in c-section. But it doesn't have to be this way!
I suggest getting a copy of "Ina May's Guide to a Better Birth". The first half is just personal stories from women who trusted their bodies and nature to have a safe and happy birth. Read a story or two each night before bed. You'll come to see that birth is nothing to be afraid of:)
The second half is facts about birth and why planning an intervention-free birth is so important.
Rebecca's suggestion of a doula is great. Studies show that just by having a doula in the room, you are less likely to need pain relief, less likely to receive an episiotomy, and less likely to end up with a preventable c-section (2/3 are preventable and only the product of unnecessary interventions). I'm in Indy, please feel free to contact me if you want to talk, if you want to meet moms who have been through amazing births, if you need names of doulas, whatever you need:)
Good Luck!!
