What did the different stages of labour feel like for you?

[SpaghettiBologneighs]

Bear with me - due DC2 today so childbirth is very definitely on my mind! Just wondering what the different stages felt like for everyone else.

First stage contractions: the most painful bit for me I think. I was expecting my whole bump to contract/hurt simultaneously and was surprised when the pain started really low (my cervix opening, I figured out later) and then travelled up my bump in a wave. I've since heard these contractions referred to as 'contraction-expansions' as whilst the muscles of your uterus are shortening on the vertical plane, your cervix is doing the opposite on the horizontal. I'm probably stating the bleeding obvious here!

Transition: moved into a completely altered state of consciousness at this point. All very surreal.

Second stage: I didn't find these painful at all - expulsive is the perfect word. It felt like vomiting only downwards, completely out of my control.

Crowning: I was so tired and spacey at this point that I didn't notice, even though I had a second degree tear.

Third stage: again, didn't feel/register this at all. By this point, felt like I'd run about five marathons back to back.

How did these stages feel for others?

Contractions - just like a constant dull backache that got worse and worse(baby was back to back). Couldn't till when contractions finished.

Transition - this was the best bit as I was in the pool and pain had gone. Just waiting for something to happen!

2nd stage - not painful as such, just frustrating as I didn't have an urge to push and I just had to try my hardest to guess what to do. Spent 3.5 hours on that!

Crowning - got there in the end and boy that sting! But only briefly. Seem to remember having to wait for a contraction to push rest of baby out. That was hard.

3rd stage - no idea! Too busy gazing at my new baby to notice!

I had back to back too. Contractions felt both times like someone slowly driving a huge nail into my coccyx.

Transition - wasn't aware of any change in pain/frequency at all.

2nd stage - didn't get an urge to push either time, second time I just decided to push because it hurt less when I did.

Crowning - that huge s-t-r-e-t-c-h sensation, then the rest was a piece of cake. All over bar the shouting!

3rd stage - a kind of painless, wet, plop, both times.

Contractions - all in my back and thighs. Were never a set time apart, sometimes only 30 second gaps, and then 5 minutes. Got really bad towards the end and actually thought my legs were going to snap in half.

Transition - Went proper looney. Would glady have shot OH/myself/midwife to end the pain.

2nd stage - Quite easy - was given morphine after much screaming.

Crowning - don't remember very clearly - but know that I reached down and touched his tiny soft head. As did OH, the look on his face was amazing. Baby out in two pushes.

3rd Stage - no idea! Think it just fell out. Don't remember pushing the placenta out at all.

Visualise - :o at the order you would have dispatched everyone in to end the first stage - OH first!

Contractions - like the kind of sharp crampy feeling you get in your bowels when you have food poisoning. Painful but manageable with deep slow breathing.

Transition - got hot and sweaty and said "I'm not sure I can do this anymore" - was promptly told to pull it together by DH and MW as had been doing so well..."don't lose it now" - and I didn't. Also a weird feeling of pressure down low.

2nd stage - contractions not painful anymore, just an urge to push. The pushing itself was like the HARDEST physical work I have EVER done. Much grunting like the Word's Strongest Man pulling a truck.

3rd stage - a wet plop!

1st stage - quite manageable. Whole labour lasted 3 hours so it didn't last long.

Transition - back to back contractions, asked for epidural (had one with ds1 - this labour was dd2) - midwife told me no time as dd was on her way!

2nd stage - wondered if would survive. Dd flew out in 4 pushes with her hand up by her face. Completely different experience to ds1 where I was pushing for 2 hours and was exhausting but much less intense.

Crowning - with ds1, this was the worst bit but short-lived. With dd2 I wasn't aware it had happened! I was just focused on the contractions.

3rd stage - a little sore with ds1 as I'd torn, but not a big deal. With dd2 the afterbirth pains were much worse, I used gas and air while I was being stitched up purely for those, not for the suturing. Also needed some co-codamol overnight for the afterbirth pains. I got more pain relief for those than I did for the actual labour, as dd happened so fast I didn't have a chance to get anything!

Boring - speed bump - boring - speed bump... (Repeat for several hours, wander around the wards, stare out of window)

God this is getting boring...

Grrrrrrr...get a move on kid...put your arm down, baby!...flippin' eck...baby!!!

Oh yes, 'I'm in labour'
Nurse 'no you're not'
Me 'I think I may very well be'
Nurse 'no you're...oh yes you are'

Repeat several hours later, replacing 'in labour' with 'having the baby NOW' and 'no you're...oh, there's the head'.

First stage: started like period pains but got worse. Could distract self easily through these. Became closer together too until they were more or less continuous and v painful - all I could do was pant and then yell through the painful bits. I wanted to be active during labour but couldn't really stand up do anything .

Transition: started wanting to push at 8cm and the last couple of contractions were horrible - worse bit of labour probably. Waters went at this point and then I became really emotional - needed to hide face in DH's lap in tears! So decided at the time this must be transition.

Second stage: throwing down sensation - yes. Also felt like throwing up but didn't. Painful - yes. Had to yell/roar through them at this point. Pushing was good because in first labour with epidural this was the hardest part. This time, the pushes were much shorter duration and, though painful, more bearable. Didn't feel baby descend as such but obviously felt the stretch. Painful - yes but not the worse bit.

Third stage: became a wimp again and complained a lot even though not really painful on the scale of things.

It lasted just over 2 hours and went like this:

Hmm. I think I might be having contractions.

I am having contractions. This is a bit uncomfortable.

I'm so tired. I need to lie down and sleep. But I don't know how to get comfortable.

No, I don't think I can push. I just need to sleep.

Forceps?!? Oh shit!

Oh fuck! A baby. Thank fuck.

SpaghettiBologneighs - Haha, that's not the order :) Just that I would have shot anyone in the room!

Woke up early in the morning and felt like I had a kind of period pain ache then with 30 minutes it went to a period pain, then realised I was having contractions.

From then onwards the contractions came on quick and strong and I just breathed my way through them and bit down on a flannel in the bath at home. I couldn't talk through my contractions. I think they almost felt like a crunch as in my whole belly just went rock hard.

Arrived at the hospital 9cms dilated and then had gas and air and got in the birthing pool.

DS's head coming down felt like I needed a huge poo and it felt slow. His head coming out stung, but only took 4 big pushes.

5 hours 50 minutes from waking up to delivering him.

Delivering the placenta felt more scary to me as I didn't want to push anything else out! The mw helped me with that and I lay down on a bed to do that part. And it was nothing!

I didn't realise until I was having a cup of tea in bed whilst DS slept that I had a third degree tear - the mw said she would need to stitch me up soon!

Good luck OP! Just think you'll be having lovely newborn cuddles very soon!

Whilst looking out of the window, an invisible knife was suddenly plunged into my innards causing me to fall to the floor - 30 minutes later, after 4 erratic and very mild contractions and without any feeling of wanting to push, DD dropped out. I was not aware of any different stages at any time. Delivering the placenta was more painful than the birth.