How much does labour hurt? If at all

[Oliver's mummy]

I found it was like period pains x 1000000! lol. \the contractions are much worse than pushing though and you forget it all as soon as baby comes out.

i found this too the contractions are the worst part oh and getting stitched but thats the worst parts, as elaine22 said the pushing is the easy part

 

[emmie]

Now im getting scared lol. Totally worth it though i know that so bring on the pain train

 

[debstersky]

Every1 seems to remember the agony of this pain that is soon forgotten

I've had bowel spasms b4 and that was pretty bad. Can't be much worse than that

Not much I can do, it gotta come out! I been feeling lousy for months so I'll prob just be relieved to finally get it out by then

 

[soverign]

Well for some reason it didn't hurt me that much. I think I have had more painful headaches actually! I only had gas and air and was praised on how well I handled it! I didn't make a single noise!! I was induced but I don't know if that has anything to do with it?!

 

[sinhob]

Hi there

I'd love to say it doesn't hurt at all but it did for me! That's not to say it will for you though...

In my experience when labour first starts it's like mild period pain which gets more severe as time goes on. However, I used a TENS machine last time around (I hadn't with my previous two labours) and found it really helped me cope throughout the early stages and whilst in hospital. The relief that comes from the gas and air is enormous... it sort of makes you high but not so high that you don't feel in control. I felt sort of tipsy (like good drunk!) and was chatting away to everyone happily between contractions. The trick is to take a great big suck, inhaling deeply at the start of each contraction and stopping as the contraction stops. I also had pethidine each time although I can't say for sure how helpful it was although I did feel quite out of it after it was injected!

A lot of mothers avoid pethidine because they hear all these horror stories about it but I found it fine and I wasn't sick at all. I really realised the benefit of gas and air though especially when I left the labour suite to use the toilet and could barely walk during the contractions.

The only part of labour I really hated was the head crowning. It was quite an unpleasant sensation and I panicked a bit each time although it helped when the midwife got me to feel the top of the baby's head and gave me the much needed strength to push!! That part doesn't last too long thankfully and is over pretty quickly.

At the end of the day I remember feeling amazed at the whole experience and happily went through it three times in total, almost forgetting the pain as soon as each baby was handed to me. It is so amazing the rush of love you feel looking at the tiny little person you've made. I breastfed each of mine more or less straight away and that was another experience I'm in awe of. It's simply the most fascinating thing in the world to see how a newborn instinctively knows what to do to survive

If I was you I'd concentrate on having a good birth plan and I'd tell other people to help you keep to your plans as this helps you stay in control. I'd also keep in mind that labour is very different not only for every woman but for every labour you go through. My second baby's birth was amazing because I stayed calm and did as I was told! My last one was the worst as I was exhausted and frightened!

You'll get through it and be fine... Good luck

 

[mum2A&L]

its intense, but easily forgotten (must be, or ive got a thing for pain ).

it depends though - everyone has different pain thresholds, different bodies, different births - all i can say is go into this with an open mind. I was sure that i wasn't going to have pethadine, but i did in the end to help me sleep. I think if i need to sleep as its going slowly this time around i will have it again, but i will not have it closer to him being born. i will take it as it comes and do what i need to do to get through it.


For me, mine was worse in my back, but alice was back to back.

 

[trixipaws]

can i just say that i thought i had a very high pain threshold, and i was once admitted to hospital 10 years ago with suspected appendicitis- they actually thought i could be in labour at first as i couldnt walk or speak- even tho i weighed less than 6st and was an 18-yr-old lesbian! (so i thought, hehe!)

when i was pregnant the first time i thought well if early labour u can talk and walk thru it and i couldnt talk or walk with the suspected appendicitis so it cant be much worse than that.

i was SO WRONG honestly the pain is indescribeable. but i had no pain relief (apart from a tiny bit of G&A but they took it off me for "abusing" it- tsk!) and if u dont want the pain u can always go for an epi or something- its a personal choice

and despite saying that the pain was unbelieveable- i look back on my daughter's birth with fond memories, and am now pregnant again and i plan on another home birth with no pain relief, and im not scared. so it cant be that bad can it!

ps agree pushing is the easy part- hurts too feels like fire but better than contractions those 8-10cm ones make u forget ur own name and what planet ur on

 

[Tillytots]

wow it hurts crazy pain!!

It was definately the worst pain Ive ever felt, James was b2b for a long while so my back hurt mainly. I did 12 hours of that which was more than enough then had an epidural which was heaven . Next time Il have one as soon as I get to hozzy Id do it again though, afterwards when you see your baby you forget what you've just endured xx

 

[Squiglet]

You honestly think you are going to die... it feels like it lasts forever... that no one is helping you... its quite traumatic.. but then your baby is here and its worth every moment.

Once you've had your first you realise its just what your body had to do to give life to another human being... so the second time round you are better prepared... at least you know you're not going to die And forget all this... doing it naturally... no.. if they offer you pain relief take it. You wouldn't expect to have your broken leg reset without some form of pain relief.

Just remember if it was really really that bad, as bad as mothers describe it, then why would people go on and have more children... because its a pain that is worth it.

 

[gems]

I agree with squiglet. Every contraction I felt like I was gonna die! But inbetween the contractions there was no pain at all so you do get a little break. You do forget tho and if it was that bad as squiglet says no one do it again and Im gonna be doin it again in about 8 months time! xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

 

[Julia]

It took me a couple of painful days to get to 4cm...then....they gave me an epidural. The pain was gone for the rest of the time, including the pushing part! It was bliss, considering the pain I had been in.

I did not like the feeling of pressure as the baby started coming out - felt like a wanted to poo!! Really weird feeling.

Oh well, got it all to come again in a few days (hopefully!)

Julia xxx

 

[Noor~ul~Usman]

but i had no pain relief (apart from a tiny bit of G&A but they took it off me for "abusing" it- tsk!)

Wah???

I had to breath mine in as deep and fast as I could until it made me light headed and I relaxed for 30secs-1min and then started chuggin on it (more like hyperventilating on it )

I don't think anybody dared to take it off me because of the screaming and thrashing around

Admittedly the m/w was telling me to only take it when the contractions started but it didn't numb the pain at all that way....contraction was almost over by the time it started to numb it So I had to try and keep it permantently in my system

 

[mrs_tommo22]

Im not going to lie to you, but it was so bad with my second that I thought i was going to die lol, and then it was all over!

 

[Morganuk]

I dont want to scare you but it was the most horrific pain ive ever experienced in my life.
I had every pain relief going yet felt everything.
Same as mrs_tommo22 I really thought I would die it was that painful.
Everyone is difference thou and you can never go off anyone else as we all handle pain in a different way.
You could cope just fine and have pain relief and it be great

 

[HollyHobby]

i thought you were meant to FORGET what the pain was like!!!!
Thats what they say!


My mum says the first pain isnt very nice but after that it's not too bad - maybe they were made tougher in her day or she LIES!

 

[DebbieM]

It hurts, yes, how could it not? BUT, it's pain that your body copes with because it's made to. Your body just kicks in and does what it has to - you'll be fine

 

[Misslarue]

It was a pain like no other. Excruciating is the only way I can describe it.

But I would do it all again for my son and now I am TTC, so can't be that bad. Thats what I'm telling myself anyway! I remember shouting at OH that I wasn't having anymore and I meant it

 

[Meggiewoo]

Nips a bit.................................................................................

Really sore at the time! At the pushing bit I thought I was going to die.

But I would do it all again tomorrow (With my friend Mr gas&air of course ).

Kim x x x x

 

[Morganuk]

i thought you were meant to FORGET what the pain was like!!!!
Thats what they say!


My mum says the first pain isnt very nice but after that it's not too bad - maybe they were made tougher in her day or she LIES!

Yes everybody was lying to me sayig how painful it was...it was MORE then that, it was pure hell

 

[trixipaws]

i think i'm a bit wierd me this is my 3rd reply (i think) to this thread- idk why but i LOVE talking about labour!

altho with thread like these i am automatically tempted to mitigate and play down how excruciating it is because i dont want to frighten first-timers. because iv been there and the not-knowing is frightening enough.

but my boyf said to me once its cruel to lie because when they get there they will think something is wrong because it hurts more than theyve been told it will so idk if its better to just be honest...

i'm gonna be honest- like i said in my last post towards the end u really do feel like you are in your own little bubble- u forget the world around u even exists and feel almost like youre on another planet! and i can say this my experience WAS NOT DRUG INDUCED i had NO drugs and only the teeniest bit of G&A which they took off me long before the worst bit and as is a VERY mild drug anyway (well it is to me compared to some other drugs iv tried) still felt super-spaced out! this is just from the pain! and my boyf said i looked like i was posessed by demons my eyes kept rolling back!

having said this- and possibly frightened you- can i just un-frighten you a bit with why its NOT THAT BAD: for one you get breaks in between contractions which are pain-free and contractions arent like injury pains where they're still there even when theyre not there iykwim- when you're not having one you're not in any pain at all (albeit near the end these breaks become very short liek only a few seconds rest). PLUS even if normally you consider yourself to be "a wuss" or have a low pain threshold you will be suprised at how your body can switch modes- if you felt that amount of pain at just any old time you'd probably be really scared of it, but when youre in labour youre not scared. youre not exactly enjoying it and you want it to be over of course, but you're not as frightened as you'd thought you would be, even if its more painful than you were expecting (as in my case). and u do forget it, *kind of* anyway. i think it took me 3 or 4 days to "forget" (as mums who been thru it say, you "forget" the pain, what we mean is more like it kind of clouds over and fuzzes, and u stop saying "never again!")

and of course its so worth it for your beautiful baby! i'd do it a million times again!

thats my thoughts on it. but of course everyone's different!