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!

The demon toddler once bit me hard enough to take an actual chunk out. That was a LOT worse.

I have had a dreadful ear infection .Made worse by a long flight back from US .Childbirth for me was very painful ,but as my friend said at least you get a nice present at the end of it! I would take all pain relief on offer and remember its just for a short while .You will soon forget and be looking for no 2 baby in a year or so time !

Any gastrointestinal infection or food poisoning is way worse. And toothache. Earache. Bad headache. A really bad hangnail.

Those are all real types of pain.

Labour is different. The strong physical experience is as much because of the intensity of muscle contractions. These don't 'hurt' in the way that a searing infection pain hurts.

Personally I have always found one magic trick in labour. If you stand up, it's all bearable and feels located around your tummy. If you lie down I found it actually painful and like being crushed.

But remember there's always a break between contractions. And you feel fine in between.

Remember there are two totally different and distinct stages to labour. The first is contractions around your tummy to open up the cervix. These start with a break of 20-25 mins between, and build up usually over hours to being every 10-15 seconds in the final moments. Then you feel very very hot for a few moments and transition into the next stage, where it switches to completely different contractions - these have a gap of as much as 1 1/2 or 2 mins between, and are to push the baby out.

As the baby's head comes out, yes it did sting a bit. But it's over very quickly.

Then you get a mega rush of endorphins and nothing hurts at all!!

Stand up. That's my advice.

Dental abscess. Worst pain ever and one of my births was drug free (unintentionally). I'd give birth several times over instead of one of those.
OP, have all the drugs you can if that's what you want or that makes it manageable for you.

Omg yes someone said about toenails - oooooooh yes far far worse ripping a toenail 😱

OP this may have already been mentioned so apologies if so, but if you are particularly concerned about the pain and it's really worrying you then I think it's worth a chat with your midwife. The way you think about labour can really have an impact on things in my experience and it can also affect things like the release of stress hormones which can slow labour down. I read up on hypnobirthing with my second son and it really helped me rethink how I approached labour rather than just thinking it was going to bloody hurt!

Sorry this is clumsily worded - am exhausted - but hope you get my meaning.

Gallstones for sure.
If you're having a natural birth, ask for an early epidural.

And good luck! Hope you aren't waiting much longer for baby to arrive.

No, it was most certainly the worst. I felt like my body was being ripped apart at the seams.

I've had two births, one back to back, the pain was surreal.

However the second 'normal' one was a walk in the park.

I'd had an ear infection 3 weeks previously that had me climbing walls. Labour/birth was a breeze compared to that, in fact I got to hospital with 5 minutes to spare because I didn't realise things had progressed so much, I was waiting for the 'real' pain which never came!

Yes, a necrotic ovarian cyst that my idiot GP insisted was IBS.

And I second reading up on hypnobirthing. I did this before second birth - was doubtful it would do much but if eases the pain even by 2% I was game.

It definitely helped, even for a skeptic. But does take a little practice. It's worth a shot.

I was skeptical too. I read Hollie de Cruz's book Your Birth Your Baby. I'm far far from a hypnobirthing expert and I'm certainly not trying to push it on you, but I do think it helped with the pain and meant I stayed at home longer (have had two long labours).

Definitely blood gasses when they can’t get the artery.

Gallstones were on a par. Only morphine straight into my bloodstream stopped that pain! (Administered by a doctor, obviously! I realise how that sounded 😂)

While I could feel it, it was really bad. Though I had a tougher time in the initial stage because I was on the induction ward and they dont have gas and air. As soon as I got on the gas and air I was alright, and then I had an epidural.

So, for me, kidney stones was probably worse. Also drowning. I drowned to the point of passing out when I was a kid and the headache you get when you drown is an absolute nightmare.

Twisted colon.

I once managed to burst a disc in my back, severely irritating a nerve. The pain was horrific. I could barely move and my whole back was is spasm. And it went on for months. And you get next to no sympathy or understanding (loads of "have you tried ibuprofen, that helped with my pulled muscle" type comments).

Comparatively labour (whilst painful) at least in my case was over with fairly quickly (5-6 hours).

A tooth I got pulled absolutely killed me the week following. I couldn't stop crying, absolute agony. If I could choose between the two I'd much rather give birth again.

Gallstones. Give me labour over colic anyday!

I had my DS 8 years ago and DD 7 months ago and was absolutely convinced it was the worst pain ever. Then in April I had irreversible pulpitis (dying tooth) and a dental abscess. I'd have happily given birth 10 times over to be out of that pain! Ended up down A&E begging for pain relief and even then they barely touched it.

Just remember, as crap as labour may be at the time, you have pain relief options and the feeling when the baby has arrived is amazing - and you can't even remember the pain! Good luck :)

Kidney stones was worse

Dislocating my knee

I passed out from the pain and I am a tough old boot, I was sort of kneeling on it when it happened so no chance to straighten it.

I didn't have a water birth but had a bath during labour and the water helped so much-sort of seemed to absorb the pain. Only one of my three with no pain relief and no stitches.

Childbirth really isn't like other pain at all-it's a means to an end! I know its easy to say but try not to overthink/anticipate the pain. And tbh it doesn't last otherwise we'd all only have one child and much less need for Mumsnet!

Good luck!!

Necrotising faciitis (I haven't spelt that right) in my mouth and an abscess in my jawbone, osteomyelitis and sepsis. Childbirth was honestly nothing to that. I was in labour three days and would still do that again but would rather die than the other!

Having nerves taken out of teeth.

Shingles in my eye