Another question for mummies :)

[xshauna_bazx]

Can anyone clearly describe contractions...from the early ones right to the end ones, honest opinions. Also what was worse the labour or birth?
Just watching one born every minute and it made me think lol.

 

[Esoames]

I honestly can't remember!! I know they hurt and I was begging my husband to run the lights on the way to hospital. All I can say is braxton hicks did not prepare me for the real deal.

Emma x

 

[Sunnyb]

They're like really bad period pains that start out slightly uncomfortable & get worse. If you've suffered severe period pains & handled it, it will help!

Sunnyb xxx

 

[Sunnyb]

The birth is the most painful bit - pushing's ok, but you get the ring of fire as baby's head crowns & that does hurt. Definitely a stingy burning sensation. I was induced & had to have episiotomy & ventouse & my son was big at 9lb 7oz for my first. But I only had a tens machine & gas & air. Don't worry yourself - trust me the fear far outways labour itself. You'll be fine!

Sunnyb xxx

 

[AugustMum]

It was period type cramps to begin with, but once they were proper contractions I thought they felt as if I was having a muscle spasm across my belly. Like a massive muscle from one side of my belly to another that just tensed up loads. I found it more uncomfortable than painful tbh. Pushing I felt like the pain just stopped completly and I didnt get to do the whole ring of fire thing so cant give you an idea of that but I think the name sums it up lol. Honestly...the breathing techniques work WONDERS!

 

[snr1982]

as above, its like period pains/cramps that just get worse and worse. The ring of fire I can't remember the pain for that.. now I'm worried

 

[Annie050408]

Ok, I think I can help here- before having Ella I read about this on another site and that is exactly how it was for me.

First it starts as period cramps which come every few minutes and these get stronger over time. Then they start to take your breath away and it feels as though your tummy is being squeezed and pulled up at the same time as you get pain like pulling in your cervix. Then the contractions come more frequently and you begin to need to focus on managing the pain and really can't move, speak or listen to anyone.

The worst bit for me was the last 30 mins of contractions and the bit where you realise the baby's head is crowning because it feels like your bits are burning and being stretched so much that you are sure it must be ripping(even if like me it doesn't). Because the burning is almost numbing, I don't think you'd feel a tear.

I did it without any pain relief at all so remember it all quite vividly. I think if you can picture what is happening during it then it helps you realise that it is normal, your body can do it and that it is all part of a process. X

 

[Sunnyb]

Ha ha ha! We forget & that's why we're doing it again! Just goes to show that it can't be that bad. I can only say that the birth bit hurt for me as I was pushing & someone else was pulling, so my birth was not 100% natural & when someone is pulling when you're not pushing it is pretty uncomfortable.
Oh well - no going back now ladies. These babies are going to be delivered one way or another, but when you get to hold them it makes it all worth while.

Sunnyb xxx

 

[midnight]

worst bit is when the head crowns aka the ring of fire lol but at least you know within a few pushes your baby will be born

 

[KellyHook]

i had period type pains and then it got stronger more intense, but i remember thinking to myself, how am i going to cope with this pain all the way to birth thinking i was only a couple of cm dilated, but i was already at 10cm so it was kinda easy for me, and i had to be cut so they numbed me so didnt feel anything! i had no pain relief either. its different for everyone, but mine was really easy it lasted 8 hours from start to finish and i would say i didnt really start to feel pain till 3hours before brooke was born! x

 

[bethx]

For me Id say the contractions and labour was worse than the birth, by the time baby was coming out i think i was in so much pain any added to it couldnt be felt. I think the worse thing for me was feeling like you need a poo so badly, I kept telling my midwife I had to go and she kept telling me I didnt it was just babys head crowning but I was convinced I was gonna poop on the bed lol.. i didnt and she was right thankfully

 

[purplehippy]

I was told you forget - but you don't unless maybe it was that traumatic that your mind blanks it...

I was lucky - 8 days early, I had noticable Braxtons all day - except I don't know if they count as Braxtons or more - they didn't hurt.

Lost my plug that night, and had a 'bad tum', and my 'Braxtons' were every 5 to 10 mins, but didn't hurt.

Labour ward time my labour from 10pm when I rang them and queried it and came in to be checked (3cm and dilating).

I had mild period pain on and off til midnight, when the contractions started feeling slightly more like contractions - but I was still happy and walking about, rang my mum etc.

I then had 8 hours of the band - around - your - belly contractions which started feeling uncomfortable around 1am or so, and as I was very tired and was shocked at some stuff from before and was frankly frightened, I started panicking a great deal which I think made it worse for coping with the pain.

I was moaning and crying and got gas and air so was puking... Pretty, eh!

They just hurt a lot and made me double over, I spent most of that 8 hours laying on the bed, clinging to the bedframe for dear life. I look back on it now and giggle SO much.

At 8am I knew I had to push, and because I wentfor it and damn any 'other' consequences , it took 20 mins - and only because I chose to take a few contractions worth of a break to ready myself for the BIG push, too - and the ladies are right, it feels sort of like burning but its not a OMG I'm on fire kind, it's alright.

For me, compared to the labour, the pushing/crowning was nothing. It didn't hurt me, it just burned. And because I pushed real damned well, it didn't go on and on.

Reckon it also helped that she wasn't big. I grazed a little but didn't tear. Grazing is where your skin stretches a bit but doesn't actually tear.

So, I was DAMNED sore after, but was blooming glad the contractions were over! I'm looking forward to pushing mine out

 

[snr1982]

For me Id say the contractions and labour was worse than the birth, by the time baby was coming out i think i was in so much pain any added to it couldnt be felt. I think the worse thing for me was feeling like you need a poo so badly, I kept telling my midwife I had to go and she kept telling me I didnt it was just babys head crowning but I was convinced I was gonna poop on the bed lol.. i didnt and she was right thankfully

that made me laugh, I was the same. I was telling the nurse I needed a poop & that I've got to go!! lol thankfully I didn't either and i hope I don't this time coz that would be well embarrassing in front of my other half!

 

[bethx]

For me Id say the contractions and labour was worse than the birth, by the time baby was coming out i think i was in so much pain any added to it couldnt be felt. I think the worse thing for me was feeling like you need a poo so badly, I kept telling my midwife I had to go and she kept telling me I didnt it was just babys head crowning but I was convinced I was gonna poop on the bed lol.. i didnt and she was right thankfully

that made me laugh, I was the same. I was telling the nurse I needed a poop & that I've got to go!! lol thankfully I didn't either and i hope I don't this time coz that would be well embarrassing in front of my other half!

Me too, My mums convinced me to let her come this time so if I do shes not the type to keep her mouth shut.. she'd tell anyone and everyone.. the more embarrasing the better for her, hmm maybe im reconsidering letting her in.

 

[AbbyJ]

Like everyone else here has said, it starts like peroid pains, but you can tell the pain is 'there' if you know what I mean, there's no mistaking it. With my last one I had mild period pains all day a week before my due date, and I knew absolutely that my baby was being born that day. I went about my business as normal, hubby took me out for lunch, got the kids home from school and fed them etc. I called my Mum up at tea time and she came to babysit, I still wasn't in much pain, just period pain level but they were frequent and regular so went to the hosp. When I got there I was examined and told I was only a little bit dilated and to go home, so off I went, but only got as far as the door of the ward when my waters broke with a pop, was the weirdest feeling! I was stood there in a puddle, my trousers were soaked, hubby ran offf to get someone and I started blubbing for some reason! I think it was the shock of it..a nurse saw me and helped me back to the room I'd just been examined in. By the time i got in there I was having BIG contractions, really thick and fast, like braxton hicks only they HURT!. The pain was pretty bad and I was going on about an epidural, I had this fixation on getting one at all costs! I was given entinox and the midwife went off to arrange the epidural, and while she was gone I remember saying to my hubby 'the baby's coming, get the midwife!!' he was panicking and didn't want to leave me so stuck his head out the door and yelled! I'd been really going for it with the gas and air and wasn't really aware of what was going on around me, I know I was pacing around the room like a loony with barely a moment between contractions, and when the midwife got back in I remember telling her it was too late for an epidural! She got me on the bed, took one look and told me I could push, at that point the anaesthetist popped her head round the door and saw she wasn't needed anymore! When the head crowns it is pretty painful, it's like a burning feeling..but as long as you do as you're told and pant between pushes to allow things to stretch it's not so bad, and it's over pretty quickly! My whole 'established labour' from the point when my waters broke to the birth of my daughter was only 45 minutes so was pretty crazy, but I didn't have time to do anything other than get on with it! Like someone else said above, fear can make it a lot worse than it needs to be..if you just accept what's coming and get on with it it's not that bad. My first labour was much more painful even though I had pethedine then, because I was fighting it instead of just going with it made it much harder to cope with. This time I'm actually looking forward to it..just call me earth mother lol!