pain of childbirth

[bez]

I was wondering what is the most painful part of labour. Is it the abdominal pain from contractions or is it in the pain down below?

I know its meant to sting or burn when the head crowns and I can't stand stinging pain, but a lot of people I have spoken to said they don't remember stinging or burning or don't remember pain in the vaginal area until after they had been stitched.

However I've seen women on discovery health screaming more as the baby head crowns, and yet I've also noticed that they often stop the gas and air when pushing so maybe this is the least painful bit?

i was 7 cm dilated when i went to hospital so had dd really quick with just gas and air.(although i had the pethidine ready, midwife holding it-fortunately i had a great midwife who kept telling me between contractions that i didn't really want it!). I must've been in labour for quite a while and as others have said i kept thinking"this can't be it" I took our dog for a walk (with dp) at 4 then at 5started bleeding quite heavy and was told to go in and dd was born at 8.58! I think i was lucky and pray next time goes the same Hope you are o'k Bez and find these messages reassuring!

Thomcat me too!, i'm sure i bored people silly constantly talking about the birth of my dd

just have to add, my midwife went off duty at 8 but stayed till i had my dd, funnily enough she was the one i leaned on most and wanted there (even though dp and my mam were there) i found her presence a comfort! I will always remember how lovely she was!

I had a back labour which was excrutiating and I could barely breathe with each contraction.

Oh boy did I scream - not cos I wanted to but it was certainly an uncontrollable, primal thing. I kept apologising to the midwife but he (and he was brilliant) just kept saying. 'You just scream all you like petal!'

I tried gas and air, TENS, the pool and Meptid and nothing helped. I was about to get an epidural when I had to push. Luckily I only had about 3-4 pushes before ds born. An hour of stitching afterwards though...

IMO the contractions, back pain,stitches, the horrid drip, placenta coming out etc etc was a bloody doddle compared to that point of the "crowning" of the head.
I screamed for my life each time as I have never known a pain like it and my dh had bald patches on his head from where I was grabbing hold of him.
But the funny thing about giving birth is when you hold the newborn in your arms the pain is secondary and easily forgotten.

It is isn't it Doormat. I remeber saying, well it was more of a wich like hiss through gritted teeth, to DP in middle of it all - don't ever expect me to do this again. Then a few days later I was gagging to be pregnant again. Now nearly 2 years on I look back on the whole thing with a warm glow (and rose tinted glasses!)and can't wait to do it all again!!!!!

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What I find doesn't match my memories when I look at photos is how s**t I looked after giving birth! I went from looking blooming and glowing (before labour) to looking pale and totally exhausted, even though I had 2 normal deliveries and only very painful for last 20 minutes.

LOL Cam. My post birth photos are awful! If I'd have had my wits about me I would have banned cameras in the delivery suite. I looked liked sh**. I had burst loads of blood vessels on my face from pushing, and I can't believe how puffed and swollen I look. My Mum kept telling me I looked beautiful, dh told me I looked like crap!

Oh Bloss, I don't know your history but I'm so sorry this thread made you feel shit and made you cry . Hopefully you'll soon be able to say it just doesn't matter, the here and now is what's important. I hope that happens for you in the near future.

Lol @ CAM and Northerner. My photos after DD's birth are awful too. They were taken the next morning (DD born by CS during the night after 3 days of failed inductions) and I look washed out, tired, pale and ill! Don't remember feeling that way with DD snuggled up to me though.

I'm at 29 weeks with first baby and have just read this thread and gone cold with dread. Should have waited till afterwards. Can some one tell me what these 'afterpains' are? is that the placenta coming out? never heard of that bit.

Surely, surely they do local anesthetic for the crowning????

...don't think I know what pain is at the moment. I sprained my ankle once, does that count?

Hi Marsup - as I understand it, afterpains are the uterus contracting and shrinking back to non-pregnant size. By the way, don't get yourself in a tizz - every labour is different and nearly everyone posting on this thread had a really positive experience. Hope you do too

marsup, willow is right afterpains are contractions that help the uterus shrink (can last up to 3 or 4 days after the birth) ...but its is quite common for first time mums not to feel them, they get worse with each baby. I don't remember feeling them at all with first (not so lucky second time round). You do feel them more though if and as you breastfeed.

It does seem to be true though that you really do forget the pain.

found the contractions perfectly bearable but the crowning unbelieveably intense and painful. but very shortlived thank god.

Marsup ... I didn't feel any after pains at all after DS ... but then I had a c/s ... Does anyone know if you only get them after a 'normal' birth??

bloss if you are still there I know this probably won't make you feel any better but I do remember very well all about your labours and how the second was just as awful and how you felt so terribly bad about it. I don't know if you ever really "get over" such severe trauma ( about birth or about anything) and I do understand your thoughts it might be better not to read these threads because sometimes just blocking out the bad memories is the only thing you can do.
I've shed a wee tear for you and tonight I'll say a wee prayer xx
Hope you and your lovely babes are doing fine

Interesting to hear people's experiences but hard to know what to expect as different people experience it differently. I suppose I will have to try to prepare myself for the worst. I am hoping though that the noise women make during pushing is from the effort of pushing not from pain.

Can anyone tell me what stage they start feeling braxton hicks, I'm sure I've felt them for a couple of days now but are not due until next year. Is this too early

Bez with me it was definitely the effort of pushing. But I think I'm probably the sort of person to internalise pain. But I remember being shocked at just how hard I had to push. And with every part of me. Also remember the
"push"
"i am pushing" conversation. Apparently my Mum recalls that as well.

I find the pushing stories interesting as in both my labours I didn't consciously have to push as my body did it for me. The contractions just changed direction.

bez, ks, I'm only 29 weeks and I've had Braxton Hicks since about 20 weeks. At least I'm pretty sure it is BH - wouldn't really know as this is my first time - but my uterus goes rock hard and sometimes it is strong enough to stop me walking/talking. It lasts quite a while each time (prob about a minute but I haven't timed) and at first I was worried and rang midwife - now it's been going on so long I take it as normal. It doesn't hurt yet, but apparently it can hurt closer to due date. I sometimes try to convince myself that as it doesn't hurt and I have lots I'll have an easy childbirth... huh!

Transition stage was the "worst" part of labour for me. The pushing felt like the home straight, but I was lucky as I didn't push for too long with dd1 and only 2 pushes for dd2. The transition contractions were deep and overwhelming and the only point where I felt "within" myself iykwim. I couldn't take in anything from the outside world at that point.

Having said that, the most painful bit was having my stitches done by a butcher, sorry nurse who was at the end of her night shift and didn't wait for the anaesthetic to kick in. She got the sack though I'm glad to say as SO many people had complained about her.