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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

AIBU to ask if there is any pain you have experienced..

712 replies

ChocolateQuiltedShitPig · 31/05/2020 23:56

That is worse than childbirth?

Just trying to ease my anxieties over giving birth, due this week!

I hate the unknown and not having a client what level of pain to expect. I know every labour is different but I cant sleep and thought I'd ask!

OP posts:
JoysOfString · 01/06/2020 00:46

Actually I would definitely choose childbirth again over bad flu. As some pps have said, it was extreme pain but It felt positive and like it was going somewhere.

DramaAlpaca · 01/06/2020 00:46

Sinusitis was worse than childbirth by far.

The beauty of giving birth is that you forget the pain afterwards. I found the length of labour was the worst thing, I'd have coped for a few hours but I have long labours and needed an epidural in one but coped with gas & air for my next two.

You don't have to put up with pain in childbirth, an epidural is a wonderful thing and I can honestly say I'd give birth again tomorrow if I could have gas & air and didn't have to be pregnant or look after a baby afterwards - been there, done that because I loved the stuff!

weegiemum · 01/06/2020 00:46

Kidney stones. I had them in pregnancy twice (a rare complication) and labour was a blessed relief (and the pain control options were better!!)

MumpsimusMaximus · 01/06/2020 00:47

Gallstones.
Kidney stones.
Dental abscess.

thaegumathteth · 01/06/2020 00:47

Yes

A dental abscess about 10 times worse

A back spasm - horrendous

Sinusitis pain

Clevererthanyou · 01/06/2020 00:47

I second grief, it’s unrelenting and there is no beautiful miracle at the end because there is no end. Physical ailments has to be pneumonia, dysmenorrhea, ingrown toenail.

AvadaKadavra · 01/06/2020 00:47

Nothing worse than dental pain.

DrMadelineMaxwell · 01/06/2020 00:48

McGill pain scale.
I have trigeminal Neuralgia and I recall telling the 111 operative that I was 10 on a pain scale and that it was worse than not 2 deliveries.

AIBU to ask if there is any pain you have experienced..
DrMadelineMaxwell · 01/06/2020 00:49

Tn is like having dental pain and an electric shock... in your teeth, jaw, skin, tongue. It's definitely not fun.

paulhollywoodshairgel · 01/06/2020 00:49

I've had meningitis m. That was worse than childbirth x

JoysOfString · 01/06/2020 00:50

Agree gas and air is lovely. I was thrilled when I was referred for a colonoscopy, which I was dreading, and then they brought out the gas and air. After a while they put it out of my reach as I was slurping too much of it Blush

MrsAvocet · 01/06/2020 00:52

Yes. I've had quite a few pains worse than childbirth - a prolapsed intravertebral disc, septic arthritis in my ankle and multiple injuries sustained in a car crash. I had pain everywhere then, but I think the chest and abdominal injuries were the worst as every breath was sore. But worst of all I have been left with chronic pain as a result of nerve damage, which is a vile, unremitting pain too horrid to describe. Some days even the feeling of my clothes touching my skin is almost unbearable. I would far rather go through labour than that.
I actually didn't find childbirth too bad. I quite enjoyed it in a way. Yes, it does hurt but I found it very different to the kind of pain you get with illness or injury, both physically and psychologically. Every other pain(or at least every one I have experienced or can think of) is telling you that something is wrong, but labour pain isn't. I found it a productive kind of pain if that makes sense? Plus you do generally get breaks, even if later on in labour the breaks are very short. When you've got say a broken bone, or as others have mentioned, dental pain, it is there all the time and you almost start to forget what it is like to be pain free. But in labour you do usually get pain free intervals. I believe that some people do have continuous pain in labour, especially if baby is back to back, but for most people it is intermittent. I found that made it easier to deal with. Plus you know it isn't going to go on forever. Admittedly it can start to feel like it might in a prolonged labour, but you do know that it is going to stop really.
It is difficult to describe, and obviously everyone's experience is different, but I felt contractions like a wave of pressure through my whole body, quite unlike anything I've experienced before or since. It's very intense, but I didn't find it unbearable or frightening, even though none of my births was straightforward. I know it is easier said than done, but try not to worry too much. There are lots of options for pain relief so go into it all with an open mind and try to relax as much as you can. The waiting was the hardest bit in my experience, especially first time. You hear so many horror stories and that naturally makes you anxious. But remember that people tend to talk about bad experiences more than good ones so you can get a bit of a skewed perspective. Plus don't forget that most of us do it more than once, even those who have had difficult births. It really is worth it.
I hope everything goes smoothly for you - good luck!

StoppinBy · 01/06/2020 00:52

The pain of raising children is worse than labour for sure Wink

HalloumiSalad · 01/06/2020 00:54

Labour pain was not too bad, in between contractions it goes away so it isn't like the pain of a wind which is constant. It peaks and fades. Feeling safe and cared for definitely helps. Smile

HalloumiSalad · 01/06/2020 00:54

Wound not wind Hmm

Songsofexperience · 01/06/2020 00:54

Multiple fractures in my foot. That was truly awful. I gave birth 3 times.

Glitterbaby17 · 01/06/2020 00:56

Tearing the ligaments in my ankle was much worse than childbirth. The shock and the unabating pain were awful and took longer to recover too

HalloumiSalad · 01/06/2020 00:56

But to answer the actual question, gallstones and getting run over resulting in needing a skin graft were worse. Grin

mawbroon · 01/06/2020 00:56

Pain after orthopaedic surgery was way worse for me.
And earache

Titsywoo · 01/06/2020 00:57

No i don't think so. Dental pain and gallstone pain have come close. Thing with giving birth is it's so intense that you do almost go into yourself. I lost several hours because i was so focussed it's like i blacked out for ages. Very odd. It's not like the sort of pain where you'd scream though so I'm sure there are things worse! Best not to think about it. You'll be fine. There are drugs if you need them and it's all over in about a day usually. And so so worth it!

FlyAwayLikeABird · 01/06/2020 00:57

I've had broken ribs after car accident. So painful to even breath, but not worse than childbirth 😂 atleast that's what I told myself laid in bed silently crying trying not to move.

GlitteryUnicornSparkles · 01/06/2020 00:58

Endometriosis pain. I was convinced I wasn’t in labour with my first because it didn’t really hurt, I’d had period pains that were worse so I left my hospital bag at home because I thought they were going to tell me it was braxton hicks and send me on my way but I was actually very close to giving birth. By the time I was in enough pain to ask for pain relief it was too late to administer anything. With my 2nd I got to full dilation with nothing more than a touch of mild backache.

Joe50 · 01/06/2020 00:58

It's like stubbing your toe! Extremely painful at the time but you soon get over it. DS was 11lb 11oz 😫

BookSkark · 01/06/2020 01:02

Think of it kind stubbing your toe. Initially, it f,**king kills but it's short-lived and so you can deal with it. Then it goes in a bit longer and you want pain relief. But if your DH is anything like mine, he's too busy cleaning the hospital bath with Flash wipes (yes, really - the pain is better in a bath but he wanted to ensure it was clean) and/or falling to get you chocolate "because he can't find the machines". So you suck it up and deal with it, because hey, this is only going to get worse (apparently).

And then before you know it, you have no choice in anything, because it's happening and all you want to do is push (and by the way, if you can, have a poo before going to the hospital - you'll realise why!). It's horrendous, but it doesn't matter because the end is in sight and you have no choice - your body just takes over and within seconds of the actual birth you've forgotten all about it.

DD is an only, but I always think I'd have liked the opportunity to have another to go through the birth with the benefit of hindsight. I think it's an amazing experience, and I'd love to do it again forewarned. But hey, such is life!

BookSkark · 01/06/2020 01:03

@Joe50

It's like stubbing your toe! Extremely painful at the time but you soon get over it. DS was 11lb 11oz 😫
Lol! Cross post!
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