Needles in Pregnancy and Labor

One of my biggest fears is needles, so understandably I was worried how many times I would need to be pricked during pregnancy. Especially, since I had heard pregnant women get shots and blood drawn frequently. If you also hate needles and are worried about an increase in blood draws and shots, this post is for you!

Pregnancy:

Luckily, I was pleasantly surprised how few times I had to be pricked during pregnancy. Assuming there are no complications (like gestational diabetes), it’s common to have blood work done in the first trimester. Additionally, there is a glucose screening test during the third trimester. There is an optional blood draw for genetic testing. This can tell you the baby’s gender earlier than an ultrasound can. The DPT, flu, and COVID vaccines are also recommended. Other than that, I don’t remember any additional needle encounters.

Labor:

When it comes to labor, I decided to give birth at a birthing center because I knew I’d be worried about needles while in a hospital. Even if I didn’t need any IVs, I still did not want to give birth in a hospital. You can read my birth story here.

If you’re planning to have a vaginal birth and test positive for Group B strep, you’ll need an IV of antibiotics during labor. This is to protect your baby from the infection.

Additionally, I knew I didn’t want an epidural (a huge needle that goes into my spine sounds terrifying and horrible). I used other pain-management methods like hypnobirthing, pressure points, counter pressure, and a jacuzzi tub in the birthing center. You can learn about all the pain-management techniques I used here.

Postpartum:

Unfortunately I was transferred to the hospital after birth and needed a lot of blood draws. However, if you have an uncomplicated delivery you shouldn’t need any needles postpartum!

Overall, assuming you have a healthy pregnancy, needles during pregnancy and labor are infrequent and honestly not much more frequent than if I hadn’t been pregnant.

One of my biggest fears is needles, so I wanted to share my experience with needles in pregnancy and labor with other women that have the same fear.