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I know it's probably a million dollar question but I just don't know what to expect (had a c-section with my 1st bec of breech presentation)

Is it like:-

1) really horrendous period pains
2) like a really painful leg cramp (but not in your leg obviously)

or something completely different & indescribable

Apparently I was in labour (early stages) when I went in for my section but I hadn't noticed

I am the first to answer and it has been a few years but after 3 children, I can describe labour as:-

The worst possible ever period pain. Cramping (but more than cramping), leg ache, back ache.

... but each of mine were born fairly quickly (longest about 4 hours from start of cramping to birth).

Mine started just like mild period pains in my lower tummy and back, then turned to severe period like pains in the same places, and then felt like severe period pains, severe constipation and a red hot poker up my back! Mine ended in a cs though.

My best friend described it as 'toothache' in her stomach if that makes sense, while another said it was like cramp. Think we all feel it differently really. HTH

nice! I guess I'll find out soon enough
bumblelion, i'm very about the length of your labour though!

Really horrendous period pains mixed with lower back ache which get more and more painful, until you can feel them all over your body and it's totally overwhelming and you start to panic a bit (transition) and then you get the urge to push, which feels like your abdomen is vomiting downwards through a ring of fire. Then it's all over and you just feel sore and achy like you've been kicked in the fanny.

With me, it started off similar to bad period pain and got more intense so gradually that I didn't really notice it getting worse, until I thought back to X hours before and thought "what was I complaining about??" lol.

It also in the later stages was in not just my tummy/back area but all down my legs as well. I found it more intense than painful. My instinct was to curl up - but that made it worse so was not much help.

Sorry, that isn't much help but it really is indescribable.

JATGB that made me laugh out loud!

The back ache! No-one told me about the bloody back ache being worse than the front ache!
Marian Keyes said it's like shitting a sofa if that's any help?

Can I just say though the pain varies through the contraction, it's like here comes one it hurts abit (say 20 seconds) oww that kills (again about 20 seconds) it's wearing off now (again 20 seconds ) and after it's stopped you're in no pain at all, it's really strange.

Not to be competative but I was in labour for 5 days, had a failed epidural whilst on a speedy up drip thing (contractions on top of each other,feeling every one,ouch) but you really do forget about the pain the moment it stops, and while you're going through it you go into you're own world, it's not like you're experiencing that level of pain in normal circumstances if that makes sense.

Plus some people don't think its that bad . As I had a c-section the first time I know I could have one again, but I'm determined to have a natural birth and go through all the pain again next time, so it can't be that bad and I'm a real wimp

migola - if you would like me to post my labour notes showing the length of all my 3 labours, I would quite happily so. The pain was tremendous but I thought I had hours to go - it's not my fault they were all quick and not that bad. My first born's labour pains started at 9:30 pm and she was born at 11:35 pm after being given pethidine at 11:20 (the midwives did not think I was going to give birth that night!). My first born was my fastest!

impressive stuff bumble!
I was told today by the consultant that my labour shouldn't last more than 12 hours - I don't get it - how does he know this?!
SHS I was having really bad leg cramps this morning that made me jump out of bed, and I was thinking 'oww that kills', then I thought hmph don't be such a wimp, wait until you go into labour, THEN you'll know what real pain is

Well, my DD was long slow labour and the pain felt like the worst period pains ever but 1000 times harder and it would build to the peak of a contraction then tail off. The peak felt like someone was trying to pull my bones apart.

With DS I was induced and the pain was a great deal more intense and contractions much closer together. At the peak of each contraction I thought I was going to pass out.

At the end for both though, when I wanted to push it felt like the biggest pooh ever in my life.

And just so you know, cause I didn't. Having the placenta really doesn't hurt afterwards (at least it didn't hurt me).

Hope that helps!

Don't worry though, you can take drugs if you want, it doesn't last forever and you do actually forget about it eventually.

like others have described, it began just like period pain and got progressively stronger. seemed to start off in the lower back and during later stages the pain came around the front as well.
top tips: tens machine. it was brilliant, but hire or buy a really good one with a proper boost function. when people say theirs didn't help them i always secretly wonder if they didn't put the electrodes on right!
also, big deep breaths during contractions. don't bother with breathing in rhythms and all that stuff, just keep doing big in and out breaths the whole time.

ouch, that doesn't sound nice at all

Agree with others re. extremely painful period pain / cramp.

It gets progressively worse so that you cannot talk/think/do anything during a contraction but deal with the pain.

sunshiney thanks for reminding me about the tens machine - completely forgot to order one - have 4 weeks til DD so hopefully can get one in time??

For me it was like the worst constipation ever magnified x50. Also I was VERY disappointed to discover that there was no break in contractions (DS was back to back). Everyone had promised me I would be choosing paint colours between contractions but nooooooo ... as soon as one stopped the next would start. Couldn't talk at all. Not fun but totally worth it in the end obviously!

I had no pain at all in my tummy, it was all in my back and because the hospital decided to make me labour on the bed on my back it was magnified. It felt like my pelvis bones grinding together, or at least that's what I told DH at the time. I think if I had been allowed to labour normally the pain would have shifted to the front as DD turned and then might have been more like period pains.

Top tip: no lying down!

Like having my arms and legs cut off and then having my belly scooped out like a melon.....

It felt like very painful tightening every 5 minutes which took my breath away and makes groan like a dying dog.. My labour pains were all in my back, my tummy felt tight. In summary IT FECKING HURT!!

It's a different kind of pain than..well. pain. Those horrible devils cramps in your legs are a good way to explain the last few contractions before you push just to make it stop

Have to say though that with DS2 i wasn't in a huge amount of pain, got to the hosp and was 9cm just a bit grumbly and bad period painy

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Stubbing your toe is a good comparison. My pain was very irritating. It actually made me kind of cross.

Just something - I had back labour that felt like a belt being tightened around my spinal cord til it felt like it was going to snap, then it would loosen for a couple of minutes and then off we'd go again. The tens machine made it a hundred times worse, like a belt tightening and someone beating my spine with a rolling pin. Not entirely convinced back labour and tens go very well together...
Hoping 2nd is better (not that I can bear the thought of ttc just yet!!)

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