"Anxiety around childbirth"

Earlier this year I was referred to meet Maureen, Midwife at Wishaw to discuss various anxieties I had about giving birth. I have suffered from a generalised anxiety over the years and am guilty of focusing on worst case scenarios... therefore childbirth was an obvious thing for my anxiety to latch on too!

I was convinced I wanted a planned section to allow me to have control over the situation and also to alleviate my key fear around the baby getting stuck/birth injuries etc. My community midwife was sympathetic and suggested I meet with Maureen. I can honestly say I have never had such a positive experience in terms of empathy and giving me time which I know is always so limited in an NHS setting. She met with me for almost two hours and literally went through all the risks of vaginal Vs section and gave me the local statistics on how often my worst fears happened at wishaw.   She did not try to sway me in any direction and was very much focused on the importance of informed choice and that it would be my decision. She listened to me and did not make me feel like I was irrational. I found it tremendously helpful and really helped put things in perspective as well furnishing me with the knowledge I needed to make the right decision.

As it turned out my baby arrived 7 weeks early, I delivered at another hospital and my birth plan was out the window! But all's well that ends well. Giving birth is clearly not without risk but my meeting gave me confidence that had I delivered at Wishaw I would have been in safe hands. Thank you.