How painful is it?

[xmasevebundle]

I keep on thinking about the pain of labour and birth.

I do want a c-section but what is birth like?

Today i had my anti-d and it was the second worse pain ever. First being a really bad water infection(i thought i was in prem labour)

The MW said, labour feels like a water infection the pain etc?

I dont know what is wrong with me i have tattoos and piercings, but its got a lot worse after the anti-d today.

I felt sick and faint, i dont know if the needles or just the pain?

I've had two very different labours, first was a full induction, attached to a ton of wires, legs in stirrups on bed birth which was infinitely more painful due to the enforced positioning but I did it with gas & air and lots of support from wonderful DH/midwives etc. For my second I was lucky enough to get my 'ideal' birth, no intervention and baby born in the pool. It still hurt but was so much more bearable.

I think you'll only get yourself in a worse state worrying about pain, it's very true that fear creates tension creates pain, so the more you can relax the more likely you are to cope well. As other posters have said its such a unique experience for every woman and for every birth so no one can really tell you what it's like, but just look at how many women do it more than once, your body is perfectly designed to carry and birth your baby so trust it and spend your time preparing the things that you can (pain relief options etc) and try to accept the things you can't control, baby is coming out one way or another and as soon as he/she is in your arms it's all suddenly worthwhile :)

It does hurt, BUT it is managable. There are no medals handed out for how your baby arrives and there's no way of 'failing'. If you choose c-section that is not a bed of roses (so my friends tell me). I had a natural birth with forceps and ended up with a 4th degree tear.

The pain is different to anything else and hard to describe but for me contractions felt like someone was squeezing my spine really tightly and twisting it. Each one managable on its own but not having a break (or only 30 seconds) between each one is when it becomes really hard. Just ask for the drugs. I had an epidural (after pethidine) and tried gas & air but proclaimed it wasnt bloody working to which my DH tried it and told me it was working. The relief from the pain was instant as soon as my DS was out.

I remember clearly saying I will never ever forget that pain, but nearly 1 year on I havent forgotten it but it doesnt impact on my life and I do think I could go through it again. As other posters have said, its only a short part of your life and you will get through it. And you will have your lovely little baby in your arms

Labour itself is painful but manageable. You can breathe through etc and the more you relax and accept the contractions the better.

The crowing bit - hurt like jeffing jeff. I can still remember it now.

And the aftermath of being stitched up. THOSE BLOODY NEEDLES HURT.

Oh yes...crowning...definitely the worst part but also v quick and a sign that you are very nearly there. Once baby's head is out its a massive relief and the rest is almost easy.

Don't do what I did last time and shriek "oh god here comes Johnny Cash!" just as baby crowns because then everyone laughs at you and when you come down off the gas & air you feel like a right old numpty

Honestly OP however you end up giving birth it won't be anything like you expected but it will be amazing and you will be able to do it!

How long is a piece of string?

I've had more uncomfortable poos and definitely more painful periods. But for some women, it's pretty blooming painful.

It's a pain unlike any other (IME).

However, your body produces endorphins in natural labour (not if you're induced with syntocinon) which help you to deal with the pain. It's a productive pain, it's doing a job and it's going to end. There are techniques and positions you can use to help you manage the pain. In between contractions you'll probably feel normal - it's generally not a constant pain. And if it gets too much, there are painkillers available which you should absolutely take if you need them.

Anyone who says you forget the pain afterwards is a fibber - you don't forget, but you do see that it was worth it - and it does stop pretty much as soon as the baby and/or placenta are out.

Drugs makes you forget it all.

Actually I was doing ok with gas and air
until I had to get an epidural as ds was sore big they thought I would need a c section!

After that, it was fine - felt nothing at all and ended up with a forceps delivery!

Seriously though its not as bad as people make out (saying that I've only done it the once!)

Hmmm. I didn't feel too much with my first as I was a bit naive and went for an epidural when it got bad. Pushing was painless.

Side effects not so good though after that.

Second baby arrived 3 hours after first ctx so it was pretty full on, at home, no pain relief at all and it did really, really hurt.

I think it was partly the shock of it happening so fast iyswim. I was shaking a lot after, very weak, very traumatised. But it passed quite quickly.

I am having #3 in January and tbh now I know how much it hurts, I'm not sure I want to do it again. But there you go. No way out of it now.

You'll be Ok.

I found the drugs wonderful. No pain. Can remember it. Had epidural at 1cm. Wonderful invention.

I got as far as the pushing bit and ran into trouble and had to have an emergency caesarean. Personally I did not find labour that bad - a bit like very strong period pain, and in the pushing stage, it was a bit like being sick - an intense wave that comes over you which you cannot control, but not exactly painful.

I was very disappointed to end up with a caesarean and would have much preferred to carry on naturally if I could have done. I absolutely hated the recovery, I couldn't even pick up my baby for the first few days, and was totally reliant on my partner the first few weeks.

I almost burst into tears recently when one health professional joked about me being "too posh to push". Having a caesarean is NOT the "easy option" that some people seem to think it is.

If you are really terrified of giving birth then caesarean might be the right choice for you, but it has its own downsides.

Good luck!

If it's pain your worried about, a vaginal and caesarean birth are both painful! I've had both. But would opt for vaginal everytime. Personally, cs was more painful.
With vb, it was very empowering and liberating. Also I am a complete wimp when it comes to anything remotely painful, but I coped really well even though I was petrified beforehand and it wasn't half as bad as I expected it to be

I found mastitis during breast feeding to be far more painful than labour IMO.

Labour is painful, I could do it without drugs but the fact that I know gas and air is always available makes me more relaxed. I've never had a CS but I think I would rather do labour.

Best of luck and yes scream for pain relief ASAP

gintonic that is a terrible thing for a health professional to say! I really hope he/she apologised.

OP, I had an epidural and would really recommend it. It took the pain away so that I could even rest a bit during my fairly long labour. I had a couple of top ups when the pain was breaking through too much. It meant I didn't feel pain when the doctor had to manually dilate me the final cm, nor for the pushing, ventouse, crowning, or stitches afterwards. And whilst sitting was sore for several days afterwards, the standard painkillers they prescribed and sitting on soft cushions and cold gel pads did the trick. Within a week I was right as rain and the pain was just a hazy memory.

Best of luck, I'm sure you will be just fine. You'll have a lovely little baby at the end of it!

"a vaginal and caesarean birth are both painful! I've had both. But would opt for vaginal everytime"

C-section isn't painful. You don't feel a thing.

The recovery of a C-section is painful the first day or two but it's fine thereafter.

Recovery of a vaginal birth depends on your luck. Some are fine within a few days. Others, like me, suffer agony for weeks.

First time was awful, body rigid with pain from first contraction onwards. It was genuinely worse than being kneecapped, which had happened to me a few years before in a road accident. I had an epidural at 4 cm. Turned out DS's head was tilted in an odd way.

Second time started more gently but contractions felt just as bad by the end. I got by with a meptid jab and entonox. The big difference was that labour was much quicker, so I lasted.

Third time, I got to hospital in no pain at all, both midwife and I laughed that it had been a false alarm, then she examined me to find 6 cm dilated. A little entonox later and I had textbook sneeze birth.

I think it really is different for every woman / every birth, so in a way you need to wait and see, and absolutely not feel bad or compare yourself to other women you know if you need the drugs. You really could be experiencing much more pain!

I have to have anaesthetic (local) to have a scale and polish T the dentist, yet I had dd2 on 2 cocodamol, if you have a good midwife and things are straight forward (ish) both my dd's were back to back, then you should manage remember there is a range of pain relieving drugs that are offered (I just had no time with dd2). I can't imagine why anyone would want to go through the risk of major abdominal surgery if it isn't medically advised.

Mmm, quite painful yes Definitely not having another one.

A friend had a bad uti and said it was worse though.

It's all over in about 12-24 hours though

I've given birth 3 times without pain killers... sure it hurts a lot but to be honest I've had migraines which hurt more.

I think it's different for everyone. I had an EMCS and it was pretty horrific. Others can get up and walk pretty quickly but I couldn't. Do not for one second automatically assume that C-sections are easier. They aren't.

Everybody's pain threshold Is a lot different.

Just think that when and if it gets too much, you do have options. Epidurals are pretty fantastic if you have reached your limit.

Don't worry about it, just remember you do have options.

I really didn't cope with the later contractions. Was hideous until epidural kicked in, then I was chatting to the midwife between pushes. Demand an epidural as soon as you get to the hospital (I had to fight for mine).

You don't want a c-section - the pain of recovery and all that - I really really hated the anti-d - I found them very painful - but labour is different. I had pethidine first time and it was fine - I felt amazing afterward - the rush I got from giving birth was amazing, even the anti-d injection after didn't hurt! Second time I decided to tough it out with g+a - and it was very very painful - but only for about half an hour - after the birth I was fine - a bit tired but fine. Recovery from vaginal birth is much easier than recovery from c-section. And if you have an epidural you won't feel any pain.

It really is true that everyone experiences it differently. It's going to hurt, and it won't be like anything you've experienced (personally I can compare it to a filling without anaesthetic, rupture of knee ligaments and cartilage, bladder infection but the main contrast is that it was more intense for longer.

BUT - epidurals in 2 of my 3 deliveries took the pain to barely noticeable levels. It's normal to be scared but you don't have to do it with no pain relief.

Wonderstuff.... I'm sorry but a vaginal birth isn't always easier to recover from than a section. I found recovery from my section a hundred times better than my vaginal birth. At least I could actually sit on my bum without wincing in pain and I wasn't exhausted by 3 days of labour before I had even had the baby.

I know experiences are very different but honestly csection recovery isn't always awful at all. It wasn't for me and I would always have another c section over a vaginal birth anyday.

The contractions I found manageable with a Tens machine until transition....ouch!! Too late for epidural by then so had g&a which made me spout nonsense and laugh like a loon.
Then the crowning part was bad, but by that point you'll be so desperate to get the baby out that you won't really care.

The stitches were worse than actually giving birth imo