What’s worse - contractions or pushing?

6dc. First dc wasn't painful to push but all subsequent dc were excruciatingly painful to push, thankfully all relatively short second stages.

Contractions were the worst but I was in labour for a long time with DC1. Once I got to the pushing stage it become almost involuntary and I was just so pleased we were finally at that point I kind of blacked out!!

I had a precipitous labour too, contractions were the worst for me (no pain relief at all) I didnt really even feel the pushing part (people talk about the ring of fire etc) I think i was just out of it by that point!

I was 10 cm when I arrived at hospital with my daughter. I got in the pool straight away and she was born half an hour later with a bit of gas and air.

I found the crowning stage to be a real mental battle. I liken it to trying to move a car that is stuck in mud.

I had my second by induction and the contractions towards the end were more painful but this was because I had to be lying down and I labour better on my feet. The water did help with the first birth. The crowning stage was identical to my daughter and my partner knew that my second was going to be born in a couple of minutes once I started saying i can't do it I can't do it as that was what I was saying moments before my daughter was born.

Both labours were with paracetamol and gas and air. 4 stitches with the first none with the second.

For me definitely contractions because they last a lot longer.

Contractions were worst! I pushed for 2 hours and was relived when the pain was gone and it was pushing!

Contractions 100%. Pushing takes stamina and I would like to be fitter if I am lucky enough to go again. But from a pain perspective I can't remember being in pain at that stage as all focus was on the pushing. I was lucky my midwife did give me local anaesthetic so I didnt feel any tearing etc when baby was coming out.

The ring of fire! Otherwise pushing is fine. Contractions not super pleasant without something to take the edge off ( but time limited).

Contraction worse 100% - I feel like once you’ve started pushing, you’re there

Contractions. At least at the pushing stage I felt every push was productive and closer to meeting my baby. I had hyper-contractions one after the other and needed medication to slow them down. Pushing was far more bearable.

Pushing for me but on both times pushing lasted almost four hours and both babies were back to back. Crowning was fine. Contractions manageable.

Pushing felt more bearable than the contractions, I think because at that point you feel it's almost over, I remember crowning with my first and it really burning and wonder if that was to do with the small tear I got, with my second I didn't feel it at all and no tear, I could be wrong though. Other than that pushing gave me something to focus on

Contractions as go on for so much longer .. like days !

When I had my fourth son I had previously had a fairly good experience with my third so decided on just gas and air. Oh boy! When I was pushing him out I got such a painful burning sensation I was trying to close my legs! The midwife told me “baby isn’t going to come out if you do that” I never had an epidural just pethidine but I had been very naive about how much it actually helped! 😂

Pushing feels good because hour body wants to get the baby out. For me the most painful thing was contractions past 8cm and transition, when I lost my mind and started screaming. Pushing was the best moment

Contractions. Felt like my pelvis was in a metal car crusher. Absolute agony, so bad I was vomiting and was barely conscious. So awful I didn’t feel crowning at all, wasn’t even aware it had happened.

I don’t think you can have a specific comparison because it depends on how you are coping with the process and how much control you have in doing what you need to do may make a big difference…being able to be mobile/ in water for eg.in comparison to being forced to be flat on your back for monitoring / access…the latter was by far worse for me as I knew I wanted to be upright pushing downwards! I didn’t need an epidural for either of mine which shows that I was managing contraction pain, and the issue was the position they made me be in for pushing. If you were fully dilated the first time round on arrival at hospital ( you really don’t have a low pain threshold if you’ve made it to 10 cm without any pain relief!) you may find it happens pretty quickly and easily this time so you may have no time to get the epidural anyway.

Had about 12 hours labour with both DC. Contractions with DC1 were manageable with just G&A because I stayed on top of them, pushing was the worst. DC2 contractions were the worst I lost control and I was begging for an epidural, when the pushing came I felt such relief I just wanted him OUT. I will say crowning is awful, I could literally feel myself tearing!

Contractions for me, the pushing at least felt like I had some control weirdly and was actively doing something, whereas contractions was just horrrendous pain.

For me it was the pushing I think because it felt like it was going to be impossible.. I thought I just needed an poo but the midwife was insisting.. I needed to push, they wouldn’t let me keep the gas and air for the pushing part.
I found it all pretty shocking but was lucky in that the pushing only took 37 seconds.

Ctx by far. Pushing us tricky, figuring out how but not very painful.

The contractions are fucking awful in the later stages , I found pushing the ‘easier’ part because the end is in sight, and you are proactively doing something rather than just crawling around waving your arse in the air and crying😂 perhaps that’s just me! 5 births , no epidural, first a shitstorm of an experience , other 5 textbook really . Just ha d gas and air l, I thought they all hurt like a bastard tbf but it’s soon over .
anyway you’ve had your baby, don’t get stuck in what ifs , Congratulations . Seriously you u haven’t missed much, when i said it was easier … it was still awful, for what it’s worth I think you made the right choice.

Thank you!. Without any numbness the sensation of baby’s head coming out feels like a burning sensation but just take this bit slow and remember your body will have stretched before with your first baby. As long as you don’t push the head out super fast and let it rest there for a few contractions it will stretch slowly reducing your chance of a tear. I had a second degree tear that required no stitches when I did this with my second and I had a water home birth. It was a wonderful experience. Much quicker to heal than the episiotomy I had with my first baby

I had 3 fast labours. I found contractions misleadingly easy due to my endo. Eg I don’t feel them at all until I’m past 5cm and then it’s just mild cramping until 8cm and then it’s a mad scramble to push until I tear.

I found having a walking epidural helped me. You need to plan this but basically I was able to stand, walk, and still feel everything without pain. It really helped manage the pushing trauma I had for my last birth — it was still a mad scramble (I can’t control the urge to push) but I didn’t tear, I didn’t feel pain, and I healed a lot faster compared to when I had a full epidural.

I am surprised they agreed to am epidural at 10cm dialated. You were good to go then!