History of Pain Causing Fear of Vaginal Birth

I honor your fear and your potential. There will be no right or wrong answer to how you proceed, and I'm confident you can have a magnificent birth no matter how you do it.

If its helpful I wanted to share that I suffer from vulvodynia and was also deeply concerned for my first birth. Vulvodynia is chronic nerve ending pain. I was reassured when I called my vulvodynia specialist and they affirmed that vulvodynia patients didn't have higher pain outcomes than non-patients. And that was my experience. I was supported by a doula who grounded me in the present and supported me with breathing together and steady reassuring eye contact. Instead of falling in the fear/pain triangle, I chose to perceive the sensations as intense (instead of painful) and trusted my uterus was doing exactly what it was meant to do. During the pushing stage I told everyone how amazing it was that my body was doing it all itself, it knew exactly what to do.

As a side, from my experience the amount of nurturing emotional support you are able to receive before and during childbirth influences the amount of pain we may experience.

I had experienced minor tearing, which is common, so walking immediately after the birth was challenged. But I had enough mobility to readily nurse the baby post partum. Mobility after birth is a potential outcome with the pain of the incision point of a cesarean too so plenty to weigh and consider.

The crowning part of birth was the most intense for me but I believe position changes, breathing and slowing down during the pushing portion allows for greater ease. Should you choose a vaginal birth, I highly recommend a Spinning Babies course for learning about how different positions can shift the weight of the baby at opportune moments to create greater ease with the birth, whether you receive an epidural (position changes in the bed), or otherwise. Perineal massage during the last few weeks of pregnancy may also reduce the chances of tearing.

My own vulvodynia is affected by clothing materials, laundry soaps, body soaps and the like, and is well managed now. I actually felt that giving birth reduced the incidence of flare ups for me and improved my capacity for less painful intercourse.

For aching types of pain in the musculature, there are some pelvic floor specialists who specialize working with pregnant women I can refer you to. There are also accupuncturists, herbalists, and homepaths which can make a big difference.