Fears of labour/birth of second child?

Well I'm not biased or anything...but have you considered hiring a doula for this birth? Doulas are experts at dealing with birth fears before the birth, and making you feel safe and comfortable during the birth. We are trained to talk about life experiences that might be interfering with your pregnancy and plans for birth, and help you through whatever they might be. They also have a lot of information and resources at their fingertips for dealing with pregnancy and postpartum depression. Check www.dona.org to find a doula near you (there are a lot of other certifying organizations as well).

Also, if you live in a metro area, you may have a counselor near you who specializes in perinatal counseling. Perinatal counselors deal with many issues, but one of their primary focuses is working through birth fear and negative birth experiences of a previous birth. They also have a lot of experience with depression. Unfortunately this is a very new field so you'll have to do some digging and asking around. Midwives in your area might give you a lead.

Finally I might suggest taking a childbirth class that specifically focuses on birth fear. Look for a Birthing From Within childbirth educator near you. You would do a lot of birth art and other exercises to deal with whatever issues are at hand. www.birthingfromwithin.com

Finally there are many treatment options for depression and you should talk with your care provider about it. Antidepressants, herbal remedies, acupunture can all be effective at making that hole you are in smaller so you can climb out yourself.

From one sufferer of depression to another, best of luck to you. I know what it is like to feel helpless and hopeless. There is light at the end of the tunnel - and I know you are strong enough to find your way through. If you need to talk, email me...

With my first I had no expectations other than going with the flow and seeing how it all went. I wasnt really scared or nervous leading up to it. Although I did start to freak out once the contractions became painful, so went to hospital earlier than I should have (in retrospect)

With my second I was completely confidant, I knew what to expect and how my body would handle it. Of course not a full on it will go like this..........., but in a general way, like this is the start of labor, go to the hospital when it gets like this etc

Now wih this one I freaked out at like 2 months after my visit to the Birth Centre, because I realised I was going to have to give birth!!!! But that feeling didnt really last that long. My Mum's quick wit brought me back to reality. She told me I had a big moot (vagina) and the baby would just slide out!!

I'm sorry your feeling like this and I hope these feeling will soon pass. Just remember you've done this before and you made it, so you can do it again. Plus you have the benefit of knowing in a general way what to excpect. Which made it much less frightening for me. I'm sure you will be fine :) And just try and focus not so much on giving birth but the wonderfull bundle at the end of the journey.

Is there a friend or family memeber that you can share this with? Maybe verbalising it might help.

Sorry if I havent been much help.