How much does labour hurt? If at all

[LisaJ1986]

It is a really strange kind of pain. Yeah it hurts but it is instantly forgotten when you are holding your baby! My mood changed with the click of my fingers. The second she was out that was it! It stopped and i never felt better!
I cannot describe the feeling at all. It is weird. But your body knows exactly what to do and copes in it's own way! You'll be fine.

 

[happy-chick]

Its hurt.... A LOT more than anything I have ever felt in my life!! With each contration I wanted to jump out of the window... I was on the ground floor so probs wouldnt have helped much anyway but yeh it hurts alot but theres pain relief & you just kinda automatically focus on the task in hand. Its worth every tiny second once baby is born

 

[daftscotslass]

Aye, it hurt a sh!tload

I actually didn't mind the pushing or crowning bit because the pain had a purpose rather than just hanging around contracting for hours on end. It's funny how you forget it though, you remember it was agony but don't remember exactly how it felt.

 

[NICCI]

hey hun
everybody is different, id have to agree with ure mum it wasnt painful if you work with your body ! i didnt have any pain relief at all ( i was fully dialated when i got to the hospital) i found that it was a positive pain which made me work with it which helped!!

 

[moss]

I went drug free and was in a pool until the last hour and a half or so (when I was transferred to hospital). I had a back to back labour and my back did hurt pretty badly, but it wasn't unbearable. My husband poured water over my back and I was fine. It wasn't even too bad despite his head basically crowning and retracting over and over for hours (eight to be exact). It hurt A LOT when he actually came out, but that only lasted for those moments and was gone, even though my muscles tore.

The bad part was the recovery. It was much worse than giving birth, and I did have painkillers for that (STRONG ones).

 

[moss]

OMG I'm scared!!!
My mum had no pain relief. 3 times she done it and it didn't hurt. She has very quick births. Can't remember what they call it. It has a name. Its over within 5 minutes.

I've broken my arm b4 and that hurt a lot. Can any1 compare these two. I get bad migraines too. I'm tryin to think of something I've experienced that may be worse. Guess I'll have to brace myself 8)

Thanks for ya honesty

I just noticed this. My midwives told me that I must have a very high threshold for pain based on the tearing I got, and I kind of wonder if that is because of the migraines I get or the broken bones I have had, but the pain is different and can't really be compared. The back to back part did feel like bad period pain, but then, I have had really bad period pain since I got my periods because of my PCOS, to the point where I was sick and passed out pretty often as a teenager, so maybe I was used to it by the time labour came around? The recovery felt like I had been hit by ten buses after running five marathons, but still had to run some more.

 

[Hazel]

It hurts but you'll cope as you have to. There's always drugs there if you feel you need them.

 

[valentine]

My labour and birth really hurt but it was a really positive pain.

I had a home water birth and managed on no pain relief at all (only natural relief - TENS machine until 5cms then water) so for me, it could've been worse then I would've needed the gas & air that we had on standby.

Valentine Xxx

 

[Red_Fairy]

my first hurt alot, that you can deal with... but it was the length of time that it 'really' hurt that got to me...
(but then i did have 30hours of 'estabished' labour)

my second hurt, but nothing like my first. Id even go as far to say my second was a pleasent experience (because i dont think i could have possibly have gone through MORE pain with my first...or id have died lmao)

 

[Bee]

I found the contractions worse than the pushing and I didn't have pain relief

Its all worth it in the end

 

[Noor~ul~Usman]

In truth, it will probably be the worst pain you ever experience - and once you are holding your baby it will all seem insignificant and you will forget all the worst bits

I'm a very quiet person and I screamed my head off

Ditto

They call it 'rose tinted glasses' or something like that.
At the time I was in so much pain I went into shock, things were only half registering (I guess chugging down gas and air permanently until I got head rush and then starting again as soon as I regained control didn't help! ) and honestly expected to come around and they tell me that I was critical and they had to do blah-blah-blah to stablise me

After about 3days though you start to forget a lot of the details......3 weeks on and I've almost forgotten the pain. I remember feeling like I was critical but not the actual pain itself In 3 months I probably wont remember much of it at all
It's your bodies way of getting you through it....or you'd never have more than one!!!

 

[Redshoes]

If you've ever had constipation and you get the cramps in your tummy because you really should go, that's very close to contraction pain. I can relate to your Mum as I had a very fast labour with Ophelia, 5mins established labour. I do now believe the contractions are less painful compared to that sensation of baby coming, that felt very odd, like someone too big was going to come out, she was only 5lb 11oz With Isaac I was in labour for days and the contractions again were OK, but with him it was back to back pain, so you kind of get no let up, as even when not contracting its uncomfortable, but I do also think the back contractions were less painful than Ophelia's front ones, but who knows, I would give birth to Ophelia everyday it was lovely click on her name below for the birth story if you like its quite fun Very best wishes, knowledge is key, so expect nothing and go with everything, labour is just that, hard work, but worthwhile as has been said so often

 

[jennifer1981]

Theres no point trying to con you. I think you're best to be prepared. Labour hurts but i think if you expect the worst pain imaginable anything else is always better

I have to be honest though... it didn't hurt as much as i thought it would

Im sure you'll be fine xx xx

 

[Tasha20]

there is no pain like it.

It hurts alot! but it is so worth it

 

[Snuggle]

I had no pain relief at all as MWs said I wasnt in labour It was very very very painful and I screamed the place down Its amazing how quickly its forgotten though as I'm pregnant with number 2 now

 

[Serendipity_]

What have I got myself into

 

[trixipaws]

more than anything i could have ever imagined.

 

[sarah113]

yes it really hurts everywhere!!!

but its all worth it in the end

 

[nickilubs]

I didn't find it too bad at all. I just had Gas and air and the ONLY reason I took that was because I was worried about the pain of tearing with no pain relief at all. Contractions did hurt but they were bearable with no pain relief. Everyone handles it differently I was expecting far far far worse but all the way through all I kept in mind that it would be over soon. The pain doesn't last forever during the contraction look forward to the relief rather than being in the relief stages worrying about the next contraction.

 

[Strangeness]

It hurt alot! I found the contractions a lot worse than pushing her out though. I think someone else said it here that when you push it's like there is finally a purpose for the pain so it seems easier. It's also like when you push you're easing the pain. I didn't find the crowning too bad either. I think everyone copes differently whcih is why there are different forms of pain relief. I had gas and air and diamorphine with my daughter. With my son I had everything including an epidural and ended up with a c section. Once your baby is born you will not believe how fast the pain just stops and you're holding your gorgeous baby