I dont have the birth experience but I definitely know anxiety and panic attacks. The best bit of advice I can give you is when you feel one coming on concentrate on your breathing and count to 4 as you breathe in and then 4 again as you breathe out. If I do this it helps me stay relatively calm until the symptoms pass and you will be able to do this laying on the bed. I completely understand what you mean about the fear of having them again but with the right coping mechanisms you will be able to get through them if they happen again. The other thing that helped me was understanding what they were and what the feelings I was experiencing were as particularly with the panic attacks I would convince myself I was going to die. Once I broke down the symptoms (with the help of a counsellor) and understood them all individually I found I could remain a lot more in control. Definitely make sure you talk to your care provider prior to going in and make it clear that if it happens you need to feel reassured that you are safe and they will look after you not threatened further. Do you have an opportunity to see a counsellor before you go in to hospital?