Expectations

In regards to labour, everyone will have expectations of some sort. The woman will have expectations about her own labour pain, as will her caregiver, partner, support person, family and friends. When these expectations are unrealistic, it can place incredible pressure on how the woman should behave in labour, and the pain relief she ends up choosing to accept.

Expectations can be hard to live up to, especially when there are no guarantees of how the labour will unfold. Women (or their partners) who have a medical or nursing background can be particularly vulnerable when trying to be 'the model patient' in the presence of peers.

Think about some expectations of labour pain.......

	What are your expectations, or do you think you have none?
	Does your partner or support person have expectations about how you will deal with your labour pain? Do they have an investment in you accepting or declining specific forms of pain relief? Will this influence your final decisions about these?
	Do your family and friends have expectations about how you should manage the labour pain? Are these reflected from their own birth experiences (or that of their partner's or friends')?
	Do you have cultural or spiritual expectations? Do you feel pressure to adhere to your beliefs and wonder if you will be able to achieve what is expected of you?
	Does your caregiver have expectations about how you should manage your labour pain? Do you think when it comes to 'decision time' that they will support your choice to accept or decline medical or natural pain relief?
	Does your chosen place of birth have expectations of how you should manage your labour pain? Will they be flexible if you decide to accept or decline various methods to manage your own pain?

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