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

[ChocolateQuiltedShitPig]

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!

Toothache. And some abdominal pain that turned out to be extreme constipation but I was in agony rolling around in A and E.
There is no reason it has to be painful if you have an epidural early doors.

Gallstones and trapped nerve. But while those were more intense (think sobbing and wishing for sweet relief of death) they were very 'different' from childbirth.

In labour like pp have said you go into a different zone due to all the hormones I guess. And at one point I felt really powerful! With gallstones and trapped nerve there was no happy ending of a new baby!

All my births were unmedicated, so raw pain. One was back labour which was especially painful. The other births were like bad menstrual cramps in comparison. But other things I have experienced have been more painful:
Migraines
Kidney Infection

Gallstones

Endometriosis pain (I didn’t even realise I was in labour to begin with as I was expecting “period pains”. I just felt a bit uncomfortable - not like period pains).

Dental abscess and dislocated shoulder with a broken arm for good measure!!

Ectopic pregnancy,pain was excruciating

I was terrified of giving birth because of all the screaming and drama you see on the television etc.

A friend's elderly mum said to me "you're not forced to scream you know Flip, it's not obligatory" and suddenly it all felt so much more manageable. When I got to it, I didn't feel like screaming or shouting at all, it felt like it would have been a complete waste of energy.

Yes, it's painful but by they time it feels totally unbearable is about time for the baby to come out and then it's fine. The actual pushing bit isn't too bad at all, you actually feel like you're actually doing something at last.

As for pain that is as bad as childbirth:

1. dry socket after a wisdom tooth extraction
2. getting my finger caught between my knee and a table top edge and pressing down on the nail. (Ridiculous but true - no lasting damage at all, not even a mark but the most intense pain I have ever felt - and I do realise that I'm very lucky to be able to say that!)

Oh yes, I meant to say, I had no pain relief with my second baby and it was still less painful than a dry socket after the wisdom tooth!

Toothache and sciatica..much worse than childbirth at least you know childbirth will be over in a relatively short time

It’ll be fine. I had two inductions, one was back to back and I had to stay flat on my back, one was 10lbs plus. All meant to make it more painful. I had no pain relief other than gas and air. No real issues after.

Please don’t forget to listen to positive stories as well as negative ones. Many births go just fine.

Good luck.

The kidney infection I had days prior to giving birth was far worse than giving birth. I have ibs but my flare ups usually only happen once or twice a tear, also worse than child birth. They’re so intense sometimes I pass out. I’ve also currently displaced my kneecap. I’d rather give birth to 50 babies of varying sizes than have this current pain.

Sciatica spasms.

Burst appendix and my kidney much worse than labour. The only pain relief I could have for all 4 was gas and air.
Bone pain from lack of vitD is worse than sciatica or toothache.

I’m with @JumpingAtJackdaws

Split pelvis during pregnancy, brain hemorrhage and two bouts of reversible cerebral vasoconstriction syndrome which caused thunderclap headaches.

Not all childbirth is as painful as others. Of course it's painful but for me it wasn't unbearable it did bloody hurt don't get me wrong but don't get yourself worked up about it (easier said than done!)

It is really painful, but sort of bearable as it’s a good, positive pain that you know will end.

I thought toothache (real, needing the tooth out toothache) was worse as it’s just miserable and you know it will end in a horrible trip to the dentists. With childbirth you get a whole new human at the end!

If you have time, read up on some hypnobirthing techniques etc. I was shitting myself about labour, and dreading the whole thing. It really helped to change my mindset, and despite the labour being long and ending in a difficult section, it still all felt positive!

I've given birth twice without pain relief. (No heroics, I'd have had relief if I could)

Torn rotator cuff (shoulder injury) was so, so much worse.

It's a very different pain to injury because it's your body doing what it's meant to do. You get gaps between contractions too. I listened to a hypnobirthing tape (yes it was that long ago) for months before labour and it really helped.
To show how important it is to relax, she said to hold your arm up in the air and make a tight fist. At first it's ok but notice how your other muscles join in. It made sense to me then that relaxation and breathing would help and they really did.
Also being upright and moving - especially feet hip distance apart and making big slow circles with your pelvis. Also a bath.
These got me through 2 labours with the syntocinon drip and a 10lb baby. The third one flew out
Maybe instead of concentrating on the fear of the pain, have a good look at what you can try to do to get through it - which you will. And you'll have a baby at the end of it. Whatever happens, there are fantastic odds on you being fine.

Grief.
Losing my mum who was my world at 33 weeks pregnant with my first.
It's not just an emotional pain my body physically aches for her every second on the day.

Appendicitis - two days of agony, rolling around the bed.

@mrssunshinexxx

Grief. Losing my mum who was my world at 33 weeks pregnant with my first. It's not just an emotional pain my body physically aches for her every second on the day.

I'm so sorry for your loss

The contractions are so painful, there's no doubt about it. I think someone on here once compared it with being crushed from the inside with a vice, which I think is accurate.

BUT, the contractions do end. They stop and start, so it's not the same, agonising, continuous pain for hours on end.

@BadgertheBodger

It’s bizarre...I honestly had the worst labour imaginable, induction drip with a 10lb back to back baby and no pain relief for 8 hours because the bastard epidural kept falling out. Then it all went terribly wrong and I ended up with failed forceps and EMCS...and somehow although I can remember the pain and how awful it was, I’m here, I’m fine, and I have a beautiful 3 yo who I couldn’t live without. You’ll be grand, you’ll cope because you have to

Bodger I think we had the same labour. Would still do it again op, even though it was horrific. You can do it!

Too much info but i once had piles which had come out and went to the gp hoping to get some cream or something. He said oh i can just cut them off for you right now. I was in so much pain that the thought of the relief was enough to just say yes. I literally turned over and he got a scalpel (?) and cut them all off. Now THAT hurt. To be fair though i never got far enough through natural labour any time to really experience full on pain from it. I had an epidural and eventual c section with all 3. Try to focus on the fact that if the pain was really that bad why do so many women do it more than once? It's not a walk in the park obviously but you will be ok!