The truth about pregnancy and childbirth: survey results
We asked Mumsnetters to share their experiences of pregnancy and
childbirth. The survey results reveal some of the highs and lows of being pregnant, and acknowledge both the extent and the
uniqueness of the pain felt by women in labour.
Nearly half (45%) of respondents said that men would never understand the pain of childbirth, and 42% described giving birth for the first time as the most painful experience of their life.
See the full survey results below.
|
Thinking about when you were pregnant
with your first baby, which of the following best describes the
best thing about being pregnant for the first
time?
|
| Answer options |
Response
percent |
The excitement about meeting my new child
|
32% |
Feeling my baby kicking and growing inside me - the start of our
bonding
|
28% |
The excitement about opening a new chapter in my life
|
15% |
Feeling like I was giving a new purpose to my life
|
10% |
Seeing how my body changed and what it was capable of
|
4% |
Nothing was good about being pregnant for the first time
|
4% |
Looking forward to seeing my partner as a
parent for the first time
|
2% |
Looking forward to a break from work
|
2% |
The kindness I was shown
|
1% |
Time off from worrying so much about my weight/limiting what I ate
|
1% |
Looking forward to seeing my parents as grandparents for the first
time
|
1% |
|
And which of the following best describes
the worst thing about being pregnant with your first
baby?
|
| Answer options |
Response
percent |
The physical toll - tiredness, weight gain,
swollen limbs and other ailments
|
25% |
Constantly worrying that all was well with the pregnancy
|
19% |
| Sickness/vomiting |
18% |
I was worried about the responsibility of becoming a parent and
whether or not I'd be a good parent
|
9% |
I was worried about giving birth
|
7% |
Concerns about work and finances while on maternity leave/after
having the baby
|
6% |
Nothing was bad about being pregnant for the first time
|
6% |
People issuing unwanted advice
|
4% |
People feeling free to comment about my changing body
|
3% |
I didn't like the changes to my body
|
2% |
|
Which of the following were the most
useless baby items you or your partner
bought?
|
| Answer options |
Response
percent |
| Top n tail bowl |
27% |
| Baby hairbrush |
21% |
| Baby shoes |
20% |
| Cartridge-style nappy wrapper bin |
11% |
| Baby bath |
10% |
| Moses basket |
9% |
| Bumbo |
9% |
| Baby scissors |
9% |
| Bottle warmer |
8% |
| Bath thermometer |
8% |
| Cot-top changer |
3% |
| Wipe warmer |
2% |
| Video baby monitor |
1% |
| Other |
17% |
|
For your first pregnancy, did you
correctly guess the sex of your baby before he or she was born
or before you were told his/her sex by a healthcare professional?
|
| Answer options |
Response
percent |
| Yes, I correctly guessed it |
38% |
| No, I guessed incorrectly |
25% |
| No, I didn't speculate/guess |
36% |
|
...If yes, how did you guess?
|
| Answer options |
Response
percent |
| Trusted 'mother's instinct' |
59% |
| It was just a lucky guess |
29 % |
| Took morning sickness or lack of as an indicator |
4 % |
| Used cravings as an indicator |
3 % |
Dangled wedding ring over bump
|
3% |
| I caught a glimpse of the scan |
3% |
| Used high or low bump to predict gender |
2% |
| Used comparison with a previous pregnancy as an indicator |
0% |
| Other |
8% |
|
Did anyone, apart from yourself, touch
your bump while you were pregnant?
|
| Answer options |
Response
percent |
| Yes |
94% |
| No |
6% |
|
...If anyone touched your bump, was it
with your permission - and did you mind?
|
| Answer options |
With
permission |
Without permission |
I minded that they touched my
bump |
| My partner |
80% |
18% |
1% |
| My child |
71% |
28% |
3% |
| My mother |
71% |
27% |
9% |
| My father |
76% |
24% |
11% |
| Mother-in-law |
54% |
43% |
29% |
| Father-in-law |
47% |
47% |
38% |
| Another relative |
64% |
35% |
18% |
| Friend |
66% |
32% |
15% |
| Stranger |
8% |
90% |
72% |
| Healthcare professional |
93% |
6% |
6% |
|
Which of the following best describes how
you feel when men occasionally compare their painful experiences
to childbirth?
|
| Answer options |
Response
percent |
| They're not qualified to comment; men will never understand the pain
of childbirth |
45% |
It's fair enough: it's quite possible that some other pains are equal
or worse than birth
|
33% |
They are paying mothers a compliment by comparing gruelling or
painful episodes to childbirth
|
14% |
| Other |
8% |
|
Do you believe the commonly held
view that women are biologically programmed to forget the pain
of childbirth?
|
| Answer options |
Response
percent |
| Yes |
53% |
| No |
32% |
| Don't know |
14% |
|
If you had to rank the pain of the
following on a scale of 0 (no pain) to 10 (worst pain possible),
how would you do so?
|
| Answer options |
0-2 |
3-5 |
6-7 |
8-10 |
Not experienced |
| Childbirth |
1% |
5% |
17% |
69% |
5% |
| Recovery from vaginal birth |
12% |
31% |
22% |
13% |
15% |
| Recovery from c-section |
2% |
9% |
10% |
9% |
59% |
| Broken arm or leg |
1% |
9% |
8% |
5% |
64% |
| Gallstones |
0% |
1% |
2% |
6% |
76% |
| Cystitis |
13% |
31% |
11% |
4% |
32% |
| Slipped disk |
0% |
1% |
4% |
6% |
74% |
| Migraine |
2% |
21% |
21% |
14% |
32% |
|
Thinking about the first time you gave
birth - which of the following statements comes closest to your
feelings about the sensation of labour and
birth?
|
| Answer options |
Response
percent |
It was the most painful experience of my life
|
42% |
It was excruciating, but not the worst pain I've experienced
|
11% |
| It was painful, but I felt able to cope |
26% |
It was actually quite manageable and not too bad
|
8% |
I positively enjoyed the sensations of labour and birth and wouldn't
describe it as 'painful'
|
2% |
Don't know/none of the above
|
3% |
I had a c-section and didn't find it painful
|
7% |
|
Thinking about the first time you gave
birth, did you use any of the following methods to relieve the
pain - and if so, were they
effective?
|
| Answer options |
Percentage
who used |
Of those who used: found
effective |
Of those who used: not
effective |
| Gas & air (Entonox) |
80% |
63% |
37% |
| Epidural |
43% |
89% |
11% |
| Pethidine |
28% |
54% |
46% |
| Hypnobirthing |
13% |
71% |
29% |
| Water birth |
18% |
76% |
24% |
| TENS machine |
41% |
53% |
47% |
| Acupuncture |
1% |
27% |
73% |
| Aromatherapy |
5% |
36% |
64% |
| Massage |
14% |
57% |
43% |
| Reflexology |
1% |
23% |
77% |
|
How long ago did you last give
birth?
|
| Answer options |
Response
percent |
Less that a year ago
|
24% |
1-2 years ago
|
16% |
2-3 years ago
|
15% |
3-4 years ago
|
7% |
4-5 years ago
|
8% |
5+ years ago
|
19% |
10+ years ago
|
11% |
|
Would you say you've forgotten the
exact sensations of pain that you felt during the last time you
gave birth?
|
| Answer options |
Response
percent |
| Yes, completely |
19% |
Yes, but I remembered it clearly for a long time after giving
birth
|
14% |
No, but the memory is fading with time
|
41% |
No, I will never forget how painful it was
|
18% |
N/A: Didn't experience pain during last birth
|
8% |
|
Thinking about your first
pregnancy: did any of the following worry or concern you in the
run-up to the birth?
|
| Answer options |
Response
percent |
The pain of labour and birth
|
70% |
Worry about something going medically wrong
|
68% |
Worry about tearing and/or stitching
|
55% |
Worry about caring for newborn baby post birth
|
46% |
The logistics of getting to hospital/arranging a home birth
|
29% |
Dislike of hospitals
|
24% |
Worry about availability of midwives (eg on
a hospital ward or for home births)
|
24% |
Potential disruption of your relationship with your partner and/or
other children in your family
|
8% |
Arranging care for other children
|
4% |
No concerns/worries
|
4% |
Survey of 1076 female Mumsnet users with at least one child.
Conducted in July 2015.
Last updated:
about 5 years
ago
