I am like that too. I was worried about labor and delivery too. I was scared to death! I ended up having to have a c-section, but was not planning on that to begin with. But because I was so afraid of the delivery, I almost didn't mind having to have a c-section! I made sure to tell my doctor and the hospital staff who I wanted and where I wanted them! I said certain people could be in the room during delivery, but they had to be up by my head! :) I also told them that I am a very modest person and they made sure everything was covered as much as possible. Labor is just a long process. Most of it is just them monitoring you for contractions and monitoring the baby's heartbeat. You can walk around or whatever. It just takes forever sometimes. The only touching is later on when they are checking you to see if you have dilated. If they induce, they usually do an IV drip, but sometimes they will insert a balloon into your cervix to agitate it and help it dilate. They may also scrape inside, but that is not the case every time. It hurts....don't get me wrong, but you don't really remember it after a few months! And that is for real.....people always said that and I never believed it, but it is true. I never went through the actual pushing or delivery, but when they checked me to see where the baby was it hurt BAD! The epidural helped A LOT! The whole process is scary just because it is unknown and you don't know what to expect. But I can honestly say that the outcome is so worth all of the fear and pain you go through!! Good luck!

I used to be a pretty inhibited person when it came to OB/GYN exams and everything and worried a bit about what would happen on the BIG DAY with everyone seeing parts of me that prefer to keep private. Then, I surprised myself (and husband) when I was laboring with baby #1 because I ended up naked for most of it! Totally NOT the me I knew. My mom even ended up in the room the whole time and held one of my legs while I birthed our son - NOT something that I had even considered wanting or being comfortable with!  For me, though, the woman I was in the delivery room was a more primal version of me, totally focused on birthing my baby and not on the less important things happening around me.

I know that the Hypnobirthing classes that I took helped mentally prepare me for a "fear free birth" and that my work (at a zoo) inspired me by showing me how other mammals birth their offspring. I went in with an empowered attitude and I listented to my body (which, apparantly wanted to be naked) through the whole process. The good news about taking a class like Hypnobirthing is that you learn about how birth works and about how often you really need to get a checked vaginally, etc. - surprisingly, it is not all that often (good news if that is something that really worries you). Writing these requests up in a birth preference sheet that goes in your chart can also help you have peace of mind that you have some control (though baby has the most) over what happens in labor and delivery. Be polite and respectful, but firm in your preferences and, of course, check them out with your doctor ahead of time to make sure that he/she supports you. Remember, this is your birth and while their is no avoiding some of the less comfortable things that go with it, there are ways to mentally prepare yourself and know that you do get to make some choices about the way that your nurse and doctor assist you through the laborng process. GOOD LUCK!!!

I understand where you are coming from because I am the same way. I had to see my midwife's back up MALE OB/GYN at my 36 week check up and shook the whole time.

Anyway, here the thing. Once you are in the L&D situation, you become a different person. With my 1st, I was induced, had the epidural, everything was pretty calm, so I still had some inhabitions, but I made it. With my 2nd, which I just had Thursday morning, I went completely natural and had a doula who I have only known for 3 months with me and my husband the whole time. She saw EVERYTHING. My robe ended up coming off completely while I was pushing and I didn't give a crap. My biggest fear was pooping during labor and after about 5 minutes, even that stopped mattering to me.

It's an extremely vulnerable situation to be in, but trust me, once you lay eyes on that beautiful little baby, everything that has happened over the past 9 months just completely disappears.

Good luck!