How bad is labour?

[LaulLaul]

In a pain way?
Im realy worried about the pain,its months away and kinda ruining the pregnancy.
Do the drugs actually stop pain or does it still hurt tons??
My mum said it was only like period cramps,but my friends sister says its like being ripped in 2.

Do c-seactions hurt aswell?
Or not as much?

Sorry 4 all the questions,Im just worried.

 

[Nic'n'Keeley]

I voted the worst pain ever!!!! Until i had a epidural then i could barely feel a thing!!

I personally think every ones pain thesholds are different what hurt me mite not hurt someone else

I would just go with a open mind and try not to wind yourself

 

[LaulLaul]

Do the epidural needles hurt?

 

[little*red]

I picked the last choice. Im not gonna lie, it was the worst pain i have ever felt in my life and it is agony. However you do get a break in between contractions when the pain completely goes.
i had gas and air and a 5mg shot diamorphine.
The gas and air took all my pain away but it run out, and when it did the pain was excruciating so i asked for the diamorphine, but i probably could have done without it.
however i was only in labout for 6 hours. i think if your in labour for a long time you feel the pain worse because it hurts more as you get more and more exhausted. if you have a quick labour you dont really have the time to get exhausted.

 

[Nic'n'Keeley]

Do the epidural needles hurt?

The needle doesn't hurt but they do them while your having a contraction and my back was killing me so i couldn't sit still so to be made to stay sitting during a contraction was the hardest bit for me... but once it was done the relief was almost instant

 

[Redshoes]

I only got to 7cm dilated naturally, was in labour 86hrs, but no it didn't hurt, it only hurt after I was induced with an oxytocin drip, not good at all then, and the epidural did hurt, but I'm thinking if you want an epidural, you must be experiencing intolerable pain, so then an epidural is a good pain? Plus its over within 5mins or so The more you think it will hurt, the more pain you will feel as the mind is a powerful force and so just relax and stay calm and feel the pressure, not pain

 

[jayne]

Im one of those annoying people who were really lucky during labour.
My waters broke and 3 hours later i had Nathan. I didnt feel any pain, the midwife actually thought i was fibbing when i said i felt like i needed to push. 5 pushes later Nathan came out, the contractions i felt where like a bad cramp. I really enjoyed the experience but then i was high off the gas and air!!!

 

[leckershell]

I'm probably not a typical example but...

I went for a sweep the Thursday morning where the midwife told me I was 2cm dilated already. I went all through Thursday with cramps but they weren't that bad and I slept through Thursday night with no problems.

Friday 11am I had a bath as they were hurting a bit more but not mega more. Went to hospital at Friday 3pm to be told at 4pm I was 4-5cm dilated and my waters had literally just broke. Went to labour unit at 5pm and I asked for paracetamols for the first time (not had any at all Thurs or Fri up til then). Had 2 paracetamols which did the job for a while. Had a warm bath which then ran into being taken to birthing pool - gave birth on only gas and air at 20.27 Friday night.

It wasn't that bad to be fair but then I know it varies greatly from person to person. I didn't even ask for painkillers until 5cm dilated, and gas and air from 8cm dilated onwards, but I know someone else was there wincing in pain at 1cm dilated.

So it just depends on your pain threshold I guess but honestly, mine was fine til 8cm when it got a lot worse, but still, gas and air did the job for me.

 

[kellie80]

I voted the worst pain ever. It wasn't that I thought I was gonna die, at the time I actually wanted to die and kept asking them to kill me Might have been something to do with the gas and air! Up to about 6 or 7cms its bearable but after that I found it awful. The drugs just take you mind off the pain but you can still feel it. Unless you get an epidural obviously!

 

[Gemma & Jake]

I have put it hurt but it ain't that bad. I have put that bearing in mind that I had drugs. I'm sure that if I had given birth drug free I would be clicking I thought I was going to die. To answer your question does the epidural needle hurt then no I didn't feel it because I had had diamorphine by that point and I used the gas and air whilst they were putting it in. If you hadn't had any drugs then it probably would hurt but the relief you would get from it five minutes later would make it worth it.

 

[Sammystar]

I voted worst pain ever.

All three of mine were horrendous. I'd still do it again in a whisper though!

 

[lauramumof2]

You know you are going to die though and you know it will stop.
I had 2 c sections though so I didnt get to the worst of it I suppose.

I did go into labour both times though

 

[ktbabe]

I voted it hurt but it aint that bad. all 4 times (and also the next time in about 2 weeks lol) i had just gas and air.

I felt it was painful, but more of an uncomfortable pain. Hard to describe.

 

[kimmumof2]

i votedit aint that bad, i had pethidine (which did nothin!!!) and had gas and air for the last 40mins during pushing but i didnt like how out of it it made me feel. this time going for just gas and air. i too am scared of the epidural needles and them doing them that is why i decided not to have an epidural with my first and i will not be havin one with my second. if i need a c-section they will be putting me to sleep, there is no needles in the spine for me thanks lol

try not to worry about it, everyones pain threshhold is different and its true you get a break in between. the best advice i received was during every contraction think to yourself that is one less to go before i see my beautiful baby. then you are being positive and looking towards an end becus the end does always come hun and it doesnt last forever.

xxxxx

 

[SarahH]

I didnt think it hurt that bad... I thought the after birth was the worst part but by then I was cuddling my baby!!

 

[xrachx]

i didnt think it was that bad either, i had all of mine without any pain relief at all not even gas and air (couldnt stand the smell) im not sure what im having with this one but im gonna see how the pains are first...oohhh cant wait (NOT!)

 

[Squiglet]

I voted worse pain ever... Mainly because I haven't really experienced any pain as bad as that....

On the upside, you really don't have a clue whats going on.. Even if you don't have pain relief... Your way too out of it to notice the outer world... And the pain is bad, but it has this weird quality of being like you are watching it through a TV.

I had an epidural... But I demanded it from stage one...I'm not silly.... Pain relief for whatever reason was basically pioneered first for women in labour....why not make full use of that... It belongs to us. I didn't know how bad the pain was going to be so went for the pain relief that would be the least harmful to the baby, drug wise.

 

[trixipaws]

at the time i remember thinking it was the worst pain ever, and i was begging my boyf to "help me" and "make it stop"! and he did say my eyes were rolling back into my head! but looking back, it doesnt seem that bad. its true what they say u forget it. im gonna vote the first one tho coz thats what i thought at the time. x

 

[libs]

Be prepared for it to really hurt..then it isn't that bad. You know why you're in pain and you know it will end and it's a weird type of pain anyway. I only had gas and air and only a little of that during labour - more afterwards while being stitched.

 

[Tangerinedream]

Honestly...

Worst pain of my life. I actually asked OH at one point if I was dead because I couldnt believe I could be in so much pain and still be alive (oh, the logic, thats gas and air for you LOL). the pain was bearable until I got to about 27 hours (total labour time 32 hours) then I was begging for an epidural (and i was given local aneasetic (sp) so didnt feel the needle go in). Even that didnt completely take away the pain but Im glad because I knew when I needed to push. The pressure of Jake coming down the birth canal was painful but bearable.