Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To ask if you screamed or stayed silent in labour?

625 replies

WibbleWobbleWibble · 05/03/2022 18:14

The other night I was watching an old episode of call the midwife with my mum and dad. Both of the women giving birth were screaming the place down and it got us chatting.........my brother was born at home and my dad said he never heard a sound from my mum even though he was in the next room (1971 dads were not welcome in the delivery room).
My mum said that she couldn't identify with the screaming woman as she went quiet when she was in labour, I was the same, I went quiet and didn't say a word during both my deliveries.
Judging by TV and movie representations of women giving birth everyone screams! I think just as many women stay quiet as scream, it's whatever works for you ..........

YANBU I didn't scream
YABU I screamed the place down

OP posts:
TiredMummyZZZ · 05/03/2022 19:11

I screamed and the midwife told me it was a waste of energy and I should have been using my energy for pushing!

TricksAnd · 05/03/2022 19:11

YABU
&
YANBU

Depends which kid but the 9 pounder with the ginormous head who was born in less then an hour during which I had no pain relief of any kind and which resulted in a lot of tearing ended up with quite a lot of screaming 😆
It was not recreational screaming.

Screaming acts as a sort of pain relief I think.

TiddleTaddleTat · 05/03/2022 19:11

Must have made a racket because the midwife told me to be quiet!! 😂

Alainlechat · 05/03/2022 19:12

I screamed at the end with my first when they pulled her out with a ventouse. Never felt anything like it! The minute she was born I was serene again.

Luhou · 05/03/2022 19:13

Silent

Sitchervice · 05/03/2022 19:13

I screamed shouted, laughed went insane on pethidine. Apologised, turned into golum from lord of the rings, quoted star trek (giving it all she's got captain) then fell asleep

MrsCremuel · 05/03/2022 19:13

Actually with my first there was a point late in where it was all getting a bit tense and they tried to examine me that I lost the plot a bit and screamed. I was totally overwhelmed at that point. I remember with my second it was much calmer but the midwife was v judgemental about another woman screaming which was unpleasant.

guiltynetter · 05/03/2022 19:14

My first I was too out of it to scream or make a lot of noise (but I did sob very loudly when they did the ventouse)

My second came very very quickly and I was so loud! I really could not help it. I was mooing. My husband said afterwards he's never heard some of the noises they sounded not human 🙈 I broke down at one point as some midwifes or nurses walked down the corridor and they were laughing (just between themselves) and I said they were laughing at me and I was so embarrassed. Never felt so out of control.

3ormoredogs · 05/03/2022 19:15

I screamed and screamed and cried also. Had two very fast labours and was pretty smug up until 10cms both times.

I remember with DC2 saying I was tearing apart. I got told off by the midwife both times for screaming too Blush

RandomUser10093 · 05/03/2022 19:15

This reply has been withdrawn

This has been withdrawn by MNHQ at the poster's request.

scrivette · 05/03/2022 19:15

I was silent, I didn't want to talk or anyone to talk to me and just answered questions with a nod or shake of the head. I was completely in my own zone.

helloyoutoo8 · 05/03/2022 19:15

I had gas and air and swore like a trooper!

RandomUser10093 · 05/03/2022 19:16

This reply has been withdrawn

This has been withdrawn by MNHQ at the poster's request.

Satansballsacks · 05/03/2022 19:16

Back to back. Very, very long labour, and still have flashbacks from the actual birth (baby and I nearly died). It was 21 years ago. I didn't make a sound. Others were ELCS, and much easier.

I was in too much pain and too exhausted with the first to have any energy to scream or shout, even if I were that type of person (which I am emphatically not).

firstimemamma · 05/03/2022 19:17

Quiet / a bit of noise for most of dilation.
Last couple of hours of dilating / start of pushing screamed, howled, swore etc.
Final bit of pushing I went all silent, 'in the zone' and just did it.

About to do it again any day now!

GiantSpider · 05/03/2022 19:17

I'm a screamer!

RandomUser10093 · 05/03/2022 19:17

This reply has been withdrawn

This has been withdrawn by MNHQ at the poster's request.

ColdTattyWaitingForSummer · 05/03/2022 19:18

With number three I was pretty quiet, I’m sure I can remember the midwife telling me to give it a good yell on the final pushes!
I guess there’s a wide range of what’s “normal” but in a TV show it’s a good way for the actress to convey pain?

Holskey · 05/03/2022 19:18

I was in too much pain to scream. I couldn't have managed it. I wanted to die. I remember the urge to beg for help and the terrible knowledge that it'd be pointless.

Heard plenty of screamers during my stay though!

Sharnydubs · 05/03/2022 19:19

I was totally quiet but only because I was in such agony and traumatised that I sort of went into shock. Everyone thought I was being "brave" but looking back, it is worrying that staff didn't recognise that at one stage I'd completely retreated into myself. I was awake but there are two hours of which I had no recollection, including an incident when a bag of intravenous fluids burst and showered us all. Only found out it happened when my husband mentioned it later.

Rosebel · 05/03/2022 19:19

I had c sections with mine but I remember that when my sister gave birth the midwife asked her husband if she was always so quiet.
She didn't make a sound or speak until after the baby was born. TV and films never portray that type of birth though.

AchillesHeelys · 05/03/2022 19:20

@LubaLuca

I honked like a goose, just once, but silent otherwise.
Sorry but that made me really chuckle.

I think it was pretty silent for both births. I think I was probably groaning a bit when pushing, I’m actually not sure, but I definitely never felt the need to scream.

Im actually not sure I’ve ever screamed for any reason. I sort of want to give it a go now to see if I even can properly scream, not sure the neighbours would thank me though.

surreymum89 · 05/03/2022 19:20

I was pretty quiet with my first , some low mooing sounds at transition, second I was a bit more vocal , then cried then got an epidural and then only made effort sounds when pushing , third quick induction , big baby, within 10 minutes I went from happy and chatting between contractions to absolutely screaming like I never have before , shrill horrible screams begging someone to help me , it was my best birth by far and much much quicker I think the speed in which he descended down the birth canal must of shocked my body into that reaction. Confused

whywouldntyou · 05/03/2022 19:21

I screamed 'just get the bloody thing out' shortly before he was extracted using forceps.

elliejjtiny · 05/03/2022 19:21

I screamed with dc2 (back to back) and dc5 (induction). I mooed and groaned with dc1 and dc3. Dc4 was an elective c-section so the only noises I made was my stomach rumbling during the very long wait!

With dc1 when I was pushing I didn't realise it was normal for the baby's head to go backwards after each push and I was convinced the midwife was trying to push him back in. With dc2 I refused to take my bright pink primark dressing gown off for some reason and ended up dying the hospital sheets pink when my waters broke.