What would YOU say was the most painful stage of labour?

[Dozeyland]

in regards to dilation, the babys delivery, contractions etc etc

Labour = not painful at all. (tiny baby, one push, lucky me!)

Peeing afterwards = ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

Never heard of 'transition', bit worrying as I'm currently 38wks with dc3! Guess that'll be the moment I took the gas and air out so I could make the loudest most alien like scream I've ever heard then?

Sounds like it hmmSleep, did you feel like you might just die any minute also?

The bit up until pushing, which i actually quite liked - i know, wierd. I think because i felt i got control back. After pains were awful, but my tummy went back to normal within a day so probably a good thing

Crowning and the accompanying tear right next to my clitoris... like being tortured!

Ooooh these are awful!

All I can say is I am happy to have had two c-sections and never had to experience all of the above. Mind you I was having contractions for 43 hours with ds, which were pretty horrific as he was lying the wrong way and stuck in the pelvis and then with dd had another section but not until I had a good old 10 hour labour beforehand, she was probably stuck too.

Thinking I got off lightly now though.

For me it was the doctor breaking my waters -my DH admitted later that he wanted to scream "what the fuck are you doing?"! He said my scream was blood curdling.

I was quieter for the rest. It hurt but was managable.

Yes Summerhols, not only did I feel like I might die, I think it felt like quite a good option at the time!

Crowning - I was screaming 'cut me please', it hurt that much.

DD2, not much pain at all and no crowning as she just popped out, no pushing at all, just 2 squeezes.

The bit before the epidural

different each time -

DD1 -transition, though every cont-x was painful too...actual birth stung a bit but felt so good instantly..

Ds - last two cont-x (but in the tube, not the outer skin)- the chubby little sausage. 7lbs my bottom.

DD2 - contx before pushing stage. especially when i stood still to allow the MW to get a heart beat. Pushing actually didn't hurt, nor did crowning.

Ooh yes, summerhols, I had the injection late too and it really stung!

It was the contractions in the last couple of hours for me, pushing and crowning were a relief because I was doing something if that makes sense. Have to agree that the placenta injection and peeing afterwards are among the worst bits!

I am also a bewildered and scaredy first-timer. Feel like crying now!

first contraction in second stage (after a weepy transition when contractions pretty much stopped)

it bent me double and I yelled

the rest was fine

had been told to worry about crowning but didn't notice it

Just before transition - that's the point I remember vividly as I had a sense of humour bypass each time. Each time I told DH that it was time to go home because I couldn't deal with it any more.

The pushing part was a walk in the park after that.

Crowning isn't so pleasant either, but at least you know it's not going to last for very long.

It ALL bloody hurts!

The final popping the head out was the worst for me. Things were being stretched that were just not meant to be stretched that way!

Though with DD2, I had a couple of contractions that seemed to go on forever (and lost a lot of water with each one) and those were agony too!

What is "transition" ? I'm sure I should know this......

the first bit

anything relating to the sheer weight of the baby on my pelvis. I was all for standing up/all fours etc, but could not physically hold myself upright. I collapsed on to my left side and by transition was refusing to move. Also at the crowning stage, the stretching of skin etc wasn't a problem. Rather it was the fact that my pelvic bones felt like someone was trying to split them with an axe that had me scared to push.

But I have dodgy joints and had SPD. And all that pain disappeared instantly.

Contractions were never a huge problem with G&A by my side.

Grazes, caused by my daughter taking a hand swipe at my labia on the way out, hurt more than 1st degree tear.

transition is the dilating of the cervix from 7 - 10cm I think. It usually happens pretty quick

I never 'felt' transition, I just started to feel shakey and 'pushy' down there but it didn't hurt more.

Crowning in the worst,It makes me crnge to think of it!

Crowning, yes, that's what it's called... [feeble memory emoticon] HORRIBLE!